{"id":667696,"date":"2026-04-07T04:55:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/667696\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T04:55:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:55:29","slug":"rays-return-to-tropicana-field-for-home-opener-18-months-after-hurricane-milton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/667696\/","title":{"rendered":"Rays return to Tropicana Field for home opener 18 months after Hurricane Milton"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rays Rays fans, team celebrate ‘Domecoming’<\/a> <\/p>\n

561 days ago was the last time the Rays played at The Trop and a lot has happened over that time. But on Monday, the Rays made their return. FOX 13’s Genevieve Curtis reports.<\/p>\n

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – For the first time in 561 days, the gates at Tropicana Field<\/a> were back open for baseball Monday.<\/p>\n

What we know:<\/p>\n

A year and a half after Hurricane Milton\u2019s winds ripped the stadium’s roof to shreds, the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> took the field Monday for their home opener against the Chicago Cubs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For many fans, the return to St. Petersburg<\/a> was a milestone they feared might never happen.<\/p>\n

“I’m at a loss for words for how excited I am to be honest with you,” Tucker Truman, a fan attending the game, said. “It’s just really awesome. I was here like a week after the roof got blown off. It was, it was devastating. I was worried we’d never be back here or something would have to happen, but I’m really excited.”<\/p>\n

Many fans said they were most excited about the air-conditioning inside The Trop.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Dig deeper:<\/p>\n

The road to recovery was an all-hands-on-deck effort. Construction crews had to wait for the roof to be replaced before they could begin restoring the stadium’s interior. At the peak of the project, roughly 300 workers were onsite daily. They were honored in a pregame ceremony for their efforts.<\/p>\n

The new roof consists of 24 panels, each weighing nearly 5,000 pounds. Unlike the previous double-paneled version, the new single-panel design allows more natural light into the stadium. According to team officials, players have already noted that the increased brightness makes it easier to track fly balls.<\/p>\n

The backstory:<\/p>\n

The renovations extended well beyond the roof. Crews also replaced the turf, the sound system, the lighting, the lockers and carpets in the locker rooms and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

“Tropicana Field looks better than it ever has,” said Bill Walsh, Rays Chief Business Officer.<\/p>\n

Walsh said when he was looking at the roof in tatters, in the aftermath of Milton, a day like today, didn\u2019t seem possible.<\/p>\n

“We didn’t know if we were going to play another baseball game at Tropicana Field at that point. We really didn’t. The damage was extensive, the extent of it was really unknown. To be here today and welcome fans back into the building for the first time is just incredible,” said Walsh.<\/p>\n

The Upgrades:<\/p>\n

The Rays started the season on the road and that allowed just enough time to get everything ready. There was some last-minute painting just to make it first pitch ready.<\/p>\n

“I mean there are folks who have been here for the last two to three days straight without going home,” said Walsh.<\/p>\n

The team said the new owners spent their own money to enhance the fan experience, from new technology and signage to a new speakeasy for the ticket holders behind home plate.<\/p>\n

There are\u00a0touch-less vendor stands that allow fans to grab and go, along with some new menu items for the foodies.<\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve been missing it,” fan Lilly Felder said. “We\u2019ve been waiting and waiting. It\u2019s just so exciting to have them back in St. Pete.”<\/p>\n

While the facility looks brand new, the team is ensuring the community does not forget the storm that displaced them. Each player\u2019s jersey features a patch with pieces of the original roof sewn into the fabric. It\u2019s a tribute also available on jerseys sold in the team store.<\/p>\n

\"Rays Rays return to Tropicana Field for home opener<\/a> <\/p>\n

Eighteen months after Hurricane Milton tore the roof off Tropicana Field, the Tampa Bay Rays and their fans are back inside the fully repaired stadium. FOX 13\u2019s Kailey Tracy reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

St. Pete City Council approved almost $60 million for the stadium repairs. The city is legally obligated to make the repairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The city expects a $16.5 million reimbursement from FEMA, with the possibility of more. Insurance covered approximately $11 million, and city leaders are seeking additional funding from the state to cover the remaining costs.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

To welcome fans back to the Trop, the Rays announced that every ticket purchased for a home game in April includes a $10 credit, which can be used for concessions or merchandise.<\/p>\n

The cherry on top of the day is the Rays beat the Cubs 6-4.<\/p>\n

The Source: Information in this story is from the Tampa Bay Rays, the City of St. Pete and Rays fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Rays<\/a>Pinellas County<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rays fans, team celebrate ‘Domecoming’ 561 days ago was the last time the Rays played at The Trop…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":667697,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2377],"tags":[5,610,4,169,15094,297,611,2550,68,2551,2549,609],"class_list":{"0":"post-667696","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa-bay-rays","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-fl","10":"tag-mlb","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-pinellas","13":"tag-rays","14":"tag-rays-baseball","15":"tag-tampa-bay","16":"tag-tampa-bay-rays","17":"tag-tampabay","18":"tag-tampabayrays","19":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116361649802010293","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=667696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/667697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=667696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=667696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=667696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}