Rays open in Tampa with a walkoff, hype on both sides of the bay

Regular season Major League Baseball debuted in Tampa today as the Tampa Bay Rays traded the damaged dome of Tropicana Field for the open air of Steinbrenner Field.

For many fans, it’s where the Rays should’ve been all along. Then came Hurricane Milton, which tore the roof off of the Trop and caused the team to look elsewhere to play home games for the 2025 season. That search led across Tampa Bay to the spring training home of rival the New York Yankees.

Could this be a tryout for a move to Tampa now that the Rays have backed out of plans to split the cost for a new stadium in St. Petersburg? It feels that way.

It’s the first time in all 28 years of the franchise that the team didn’t open at Tropicana Field. Crews have worked to make the place feel like the Rays’ home turf, installing more than 3,000 pieces of team art and signage.

The Rays walked off the Colorado Rockies with a home run from Kameron Misner, sparking celebration on both sides of the bay. Here’s how it unfolded.

6:55 p.m. Shirt sells out

The Rays team store at Steinbrenner Field sold out of the heather gray opening day shirt with Steinbrenner Field’s name. A retail worker said those shirts were restocked three or four times. — Colleen Wright

6:45 p.m. A historic season opener

The buildup and buzz leading to the Rays’ historic season opener outdoors at Steinbrenner Field on Friday was pretty good.

The game turned out even better.

Down 2-0 and not showing much, the Rays rallied to tie in the seventh inning, then walked off the Rockies when Kameron Misner hit a homer to start the ninth inning.

Misner, who had one hit in eight games for the Rays last season, was only added to the roster Wednesday when Richie Palacios was injured.

Read more about Friday’s game here. — Marc Topkin

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kameron Misner celebrates with teammates after he hits a walkoff homer off a pitch thrown by the Colorado Rockies’ Victor Vodnik during the ninth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Friday in Tampa. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

6:29 p.m. Rays win

The Rays win 3-2 with a walkoff home run by outfielder Kameron Misner. Cue the fireworks.

“Walkoff home run opening day! Yeah!” cheered Scott Suban, 54, of Clearwater, raising a Coors Light.

“This is phenomenal,” he said of Steinbrenner. “I love outdoor stadiums. We should have an outdoor stadium.”

“It’s better than a dome,” he said.

Across the bay, cheers erupted at Ferg’s.

As a live band started to play, some stayed to drink and eat while others filed out of the bar.

Melinda Steffny and her friend Dani McIntire were ecstatic about the opening day win.

“Walkoff hit — couldn’t have been any better,” McIntire said. — Colleen Wright and Jack Prator

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6:20 p.m. ‘It’s time for him to sell the team’

A Bradenton man who declined to give his name because he works for a major company carried around a sign that read “$ell $tu.” He made eye contact with Rays owner Stuart Sternberg, watching the game on the balcony of a suite.

“It’s time for him to sell the team,” the man said. “He can’t afford the team. He’s a bad actor.” — Colleen Wright

A Bradenton man holds up a sign encouraging Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg to sell the team Friday during the opening game at Steinbrenner Field. [ COLLEEN WRIGHT | Times ]

6:15 p.m. A 20-year tradition

If you’ve been to a Rays game at Tropicana Field any time in the last 20 years, you’ve probably seen 52-year-old Chris Harris drumming away on 5-gallon buckets.

He’s had an official permit with the team since 2004, and since then he’s become a “generational fan-favorite,” he said — the kids who once gave him money now have children of their own.

“My favorite part about this is definitely the fans,” he said. “They’re always loyal.”

His drive from North Tampa to Steinbrenner may be shorter than it is to the Trop, but he said he would much rather make the trek to his St. Petersburg stomping grounds.

On Friday he had to scout for the best place to play — a spot where he wouldn’t block traffic but would still be visible.

“I’m still a little nervous,” he said. “I’m not sure how this is going to work out.”

On Friday evening, he spotted a saxophone player making his way to the pedestrian bridge.

“For the past 20 years it’s been a staple of my income,” he said. “I’m not going to give up.”

He set up shop just at the bottom of the pedestrian bridge and drummed away as fans left the game.

“I want to stay home,” he said. “I want to stay with the Rays fans, I really do.” — Colbi Edmonds

Chris Harris drums on 5-gallon buckets outside Steinbrenner Field on Friday. He’s had an official permit with the Rays since 2004. [ COLBI EDMONDS | Times ]

6 p.m. Crowd comes alive

During the sixth inning, some fans broke into a brief “Sell the team” chant. Principal owner Stuart Sternberg and his family were at the game, presumably in a suite.

In the seventh inning, fans stood to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

“So let’s root, root, root for the Rays!” the crowd shouted.

The camera panned to a sign scribbled in marker: “Thank you GMS, NYY for loaning.”

Earlier, one fan remarked about how pleasant it is to be outside at Steinbrenner Field.

“This is much better. Open air and sunshine,” said Rob Vigh, 60, from Riverview.

At 6:05 p.m., another brief round of “Sell the team” chants rang out. — Marc Topkin and Colleen Wright

Fans watch from the stands during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies during opening day at Steinbrenner Field on Friday in Tampa. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]

5:40 p.m. Ferg’s ‘surreal’ without the Rays

Ferg’s owner Mark Ferguson said opening day drew a great crowd, although he’s used to three times as many customers.

A Rays home game without the team across the street has been “surreal,” he said.

He’s hopeful the rest of the season will stay busy.

“Not everybody can afford the tickets in Tampa,” Ferguson said. “So if you don’t have your tickets, you can always come here.”

The storm-damaged Tropicana Field sits empty in St. Petersburg as the Tampa Bay Rays throw out the first pitch at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Friday. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

While manning the bar and sipping on a nonalcoholic beer, he’s been paying close attention to the TV.

“We haven’t scored any runs yet, but we’re going to be OK,” he said at the bottom of the fifth. “We’re going to win this game in the eighth and ninth inning.”

Ferguson is also hopeful the team will come home to St. Petersburg soon.

“I’m a big Rays fan. I think we’re a Major League city because of them. We need to keep them happy and get the roof done,” he said. — Jack Prator

5 p.m. Sternberg still optimistic

Rays fans have been encouraged by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s oft-stated position that baseball can work in Tampa Bay.

And that would seem to include the market’s most visible fan.

Hours before the start of the season at Steinbrenner Field on Friday, Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said he agrees with Manfred’s comments that a stadium solution can be found in Tampa Bay.

“This is my 20th season doing this, and that’s been the goal right from the beginning, and it remains the goal,” Sternberg said. “So, yeah, we’re on the same page.”

Read more from Sternberg here. — John Romano

Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg mingles with people ahead of the Rays’ season opener against the Colorado Rockies at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Friday. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

4:15 p.m. First out

Inside Ferg’s, “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere” by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett subsided for first pitch at 4:10. The crowd cheered at first out.

Aaron Lester, 58, and his aunt, Joanne Campbell, 79, drove from Tierra Verde to catch the game at Ferg’s.

Lester said the bar’s turnout didn’t feel all that different from past season openers. Planted at a corner table, he hoped the crowd didn’t grow any bigger.

While they probably wouldn’t have gone to the game if it were at Tropicana Field, a drive across two bridges deterred them further.

Campbell said she would be disappointed if the team never returned to St. Petersburg.

“Why can’t we have it?” She asked. “Everything goes to Tampa.” — Jack Prator

The #Rays are playing baseball outdoors in Tampa. pic.twitter.com/DaUnat0NgF

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 28, 2025

4 p.m. A bittersweet opener

A U.S. Air Force Stratotanker flew over Steinbrenner Field and red fireworks shot into the air after the national anthem — two things that couldn’t have happened back at Tropicana Field. On the jumbo screen, a video montage of photos of Hurricane Milton’s damage to the Trop and news clips about the Rays’ move to Steinbrenner flashed.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, approached the diamond with mixed emotions. She was there to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Steinbrenner Field with St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway by her side.

On one hand, she said she was excited to see Major League Baseball in the regular season in Tampa, but she already misses Sunday afternoons at the Trop and going out for lunch or to a brewery.

And while fans may like the central location of Tampa more, she hopes St. Petersburg, Pinellas County and the Rays can go back to the negotiating table and figure out a deal that builds a new stadium in St. Petersburg. That’s where the tourist dollars are available, whereas in Hillsborough, that money is already committed to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Yankees.

“It just looks more doable in in Pinellas County,” Castor said. “So I think Pinellas County and St. Pete and the Rays should take another swing at it.”

An American flag is stretched out during the national anthem ahead of the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies during opening day at Steinbrenner Field on Friday in Tampa. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]

No matter what, Castor said, it needs to be an indoor stadium.

“We need a structure that’s resilient,” she said. “It’s quite warm here today and our summers are getting longer and hotter.”

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch passed on attending, and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is traveling this week. — Colleen Wright

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor throws the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Rays’ opening game against the Colorado Rockies at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Friday in Tampa. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

3:50 p.m. ‘Home is where the Rays are’

Neil MacDonald walked into Steinbrenner Field in a full Rays uniform and a cape that read “Fan Man” in gold lettering.

He had another sign with him: “Tampicana Field.”

“This doesn’t have a roof, either,” said MacDonald, 58, who came with his wife, Camela.

“Home is where the Rays are,” Camela said.

Neil MacDonald poses for a photo before the first pitch between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies during opening day at Steinbrenner Field on Friday in Tampa. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]

MacDonald went to the Rays’ first-ever opening day in 1998 and, since moving back from New York, every opening day for the past 13 years. He spent 40 hours creating his costume. He was proud to be at Steinbrenner on Friday, but he missed the Trop and Ferg’s Sports Bar, where they’d get a cheap bucket of beer before the game.

The MacDonalds didn’t go to a bar before the game, stopping instead at 7-11 convenience store. They suggested that Ferg’s owner Mark Ferguson set up a tent outside Steinbrenner.

“Ferg’s and the Rays, they just go together,” Neil MacDonald said. “It’s our culture.”

Neil MacDonald says he spent 40 hours making his costume for opening day. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]

To the sound of pounding drums, a slow trickle of fans was still entering Ferg’s minutes before the first pitch. But not everyone in downtown St. Petersburg was there for baseball.

“Is there a Rays game or something today?” One woman walking past asked her friend.

Farther up Central Avenue away from the bar, there wasn’t a Rays cap in sight. — Colleen Wright, Colbi Edmonds, Jack Prator and Christopher Spata

Hosts check tickets of fans on the pedestrian bridge as gates open for the Tampa Bay Rays’ opening day at Steinbrenner Field on Friday in Tampa. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]

Robert “Stilt Guy” Carroll high-fives 12-year-old Hudson Faedo during Rays opening day on Friday in Tampa. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]

3:30 p.m. Roof loss was an ‘act of God’

Eric Fiorucci almost drove to Tropicana Field today to do what he does outside sports stadiums all around the country: Preach about God and ask passersby to repent for their sins.

Then he went online and saw that the Trop lost its roof — an act of God, he said — and that the Rays are playing in Tampa in the meantime.

“You don’t really have one spot where everyone goes in. That’s the issue,” said Fiorucci, 35, of Greenville, South Carolina. At the Trop, “you get a good amount of people ready to cross the road.”

Fiorucci used to go to football and baseball games all the time before he was saved 10 years ago. But still, he wanted to know what was happening with the Rays and a stadium deal. — Colleen Wright

Eric Fiorucci preaches about God and asks passersby to repent for their sins outside Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Friday. [ COLLEEN WRIGHT | Times ]

2:45 p.m. ‘Not the same atmosphere’

Dean Roberts, 57, and his wife, Robin, 59, parked in the sparse lot at Tropicana Field. They’d heard the gift shop at the battered stadium was open and wanted to snag a hat or T-shirt before the first pitch.

Walking across the parking lot, the couple pointed out a patch of grass on First Avenue South where they had hosted tailgates for years.

This would be the first opening day Dean Roberts, a St. Petersburg native, had missed in 20 years. The cost of tickets was prohibitive, he said.

Opening day wouldn’t be the same at Steinbrenner.

“There’s nothing around that stadium,” he said. “You park, you go in.”

Dean and Robin Roberts are shown outside Tropicana Field. [ JACK PRATOR | Times ]

The couple would normally make it to 20 games each season but expect to make it to only a handful this year.

They weaved through barriers outside the empty stadium, stopping to take photos of the damage.

They made it to the gift shop to find it closed. But it wouldn’t spoil their day.

“Well, we made it to the Trop like we do every year,” Dean Roberts said. “It’s not the same atmosphere as I was hoping.”

The couple shuffled into Ferg’s to meet up with friends. — Jack Prator

The opening week logo is seen painted on the field just prior to batting practice during the Rays’ opening day game against the Rockies on Friday in Tampa. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]

2:30 p.m. ‘More intimate setting’

Nick Hernandez travels every year for the Colorado Rockies’ opening game to celebrate his birthday. So to ring in turning 45 on Sunday, he made his way to Tampa.

“I’m excited that baseball’s back,” he said, adding that the game will be a unique opportunity to watch his team in a “smaller, more intimate setting.” — Colbi Edmonds

Nick Hernandez said he looked forward to experiencing today’s game in a “smaller, more intimate setting.” [ COLBI EDMONDS | Times ]

2:15 p.m. ‘Seeing history’

Jim Aalderink, 71, said he doesn’t care who wins today. He traveled from Michigan to add another game to the long list he’s attended.

His sweatshirt is embroidered with the more than 50 stadiums he’s attended during opening and closing game days.

He said he’s been to more than 60 ball parks, and he’s been to Steinbrenner for minor league games.

Aalderink said he’s excited that, today, he’s “seeing history.” — Colbi Edmonds

Jim Aalderink’s sweatshirt records all the ballparks he has visited on opening and closing days. [ COLBI EDMONDS | Times ]

2 p.m. What’s the scene at Ferg’s?

The bar at Ferg’s is seen Friday in St. Petersburg as the Tampa Bay Rays prepare to take on the Rockies in their opening day game in Tampa. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

At Ferg’s Sports Bar in downtown St. Petersburg, patrons sipped beers and chatted casually.

Many bar stools were empty.

The scene was a far cry from past opening days, said one bartender of 20 years. She’s hoping her regulars show up despite the irregularity of this afternoon’s game moving across the bay.

Even by 2 p.m., a horde would have normally appeared for an early start at the unofficial game day drinking capital.

Scott Withrow, 67, and his wife, Kathy, 55, typically spend opening day planted in a barstool drinking with friends rather than in the stands.

And this year’s first game won’t be any different.

“Being that it’s at Steinbrenner field really doesn’t make a whole big difference,” Scott Withrow said. “Obviously, it’s a lot less crowded.”

The couple live in Michigan and, for the past five years, made a habit of staying for a month in St. Petersburg just in time for the start of baseball.

“It’s a beautiful day, and people are excited to watch the game, even if it’s on TV,” he said.

The Trop’s naked roof towered in view behind the bar. — Jack Prator

A view of the damaged roof of Tropicana Field from Ferg’s in downtown St. Petersburg. [ JACK PRATOR | Times ]

1:55 p.m. Lines start to form

A line is beginning to form across the Dale Mabry pedestrian bridge as fans wait for the gates to open. [ COLBI EDMONDS | Times ]

Lines were starting to form at Steinbrenner Field a good two hours before game time.

Florida native Janet Tuggle, 68, traveled from Crystal River for today’s opening match.

While waiting for the gates to open at Steinbrenner, she said she’s been a Tampa Bay Rays fan “since the day they opened.”

While the future of the Rays’ stadium remains unknown, she’s hoping it will move to Tampa — the Trop wasn’t made for baseball, she said.

“We’ve been hoping for years it would end up in the Tampa Bay area,” she said. “It would make a huge difference in the fan appeal and attendance.”

Diane Argiz, 70, and her husband, clad in Rays merchandise, are a house divided Friday — they lived in Colorado for 40 years, but she was raised in St. Petersburg. They moved back to Florida this year and are fans of both teams.

They made the trek from Punta Gorda, and she said her favorite thing about being a Rays fan is “the camaraderie. The cheering.” — Colbi Edmonds

1:45 p.m. Outside ‘feels more like baseball’

Driving isn’t really a factor for some.

Anthony Thompson, Alison Kahre and Blair Nettles drove from Jacksonville as they’ve done for every opening day for the past four years.

Their tailgating game is way better this year, they said, as grass trumps the Trop’s asphalt lot. They have a Rays flag flying above their team-branded pop-up tent.

“Feels more like baseball with being outside,” said Thompson, 27. “The Trop feels like a basement.”

The friends are diehard fans. Two years ago after a loss, they got Rays starburst tattoos in Ybor City. — Colleen Wright

Anthony Thompson, Alison Kahre and Blair Nettles show off their Rays tattoos. [ COLLEEN WRIGHT | Times ]

1:30 p.m. How to create ‘generational fans’

Miguel Nieves was in the third grade when his dad, also Miguel Nieves, took him out of school for the Rays first opening day in 1998.

Now at 35 years old, the younger Nieves and his father continue their tradition of arriving early and playing a game of catch at a Raymond James Stadium parking lot. They had to leave a little earlier from their Sarasota home to make it.

“Baseball is just something we’ve always had together,” Nieves said.

The Rays belong in Tampa, he said, but he is nostalgic for the Trop.

“When you think of the Rays, you think of Tropicana Field,” he said.

Whatever happens to the Rays, Nieves hopes the team stays in Tampa Bay so he can continue the tradition with his 2-year-old son.

“That’s how you create generational fans,” he said. — Colleen Wright

Miguel Nieves, right, and his father, also named Miguel Nieves, have been attending opening day for decades. [ COLLEEN WRIGHT | Times ]

1 p.m.: 10-year-old has tough words for ownership

Ten-year-old Nolan Simpson and his dad, Joe Simpson, had been stalking the Rays player parking lot since 11 a.m. when they came in for lunch nearby at Panera Bread.

Leaving their Spring Hill home early for the Rays opening day was worth it. Simpson got third baseman Junior Caminero to sign his baseball.

Even though Steinbrenner Field is a shorter drive, Nolan wishes he was back at Tropicana Field.

“It’s air conditioned, we don’t have rain delays,” Nolan said. “They’re taking away all the kids club stuff.”

Back at the Trop, kids got a free lunch at the kids club. And the flex season plans were a little more flexible.

The Simpsons have gone to at least 25 games every season for the past four years.

Nolan said he was excited about plans for a new, modern stadium.

“When I heard about the stadium plans not going through, it’s not the first bad move the owner has made,” he said. — Colleen Wright

Joe Simpson and his 10-year-old son, Nolan. [ COLLEEN WRIGHT | Times ]

11:45 a.m. Sunny skies in the forecast

A friendly reminder that Steinbrenner Field is outdoors, so be sure to apply plenty of sunscreen.

The National Weather Service is forecasting mostly sunny skies, with a high Friday of 84 degrees. Fortunately for fans, it is also expected to be breezy. — Bill Varian