Tampa Bay Rays - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tampa Bay Rays | |
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Established in 1998 | |
based in St. Petersburg, Florida | |
Major league affiliations | |
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Retired numbers | 12, 66, 42 |
Colors | |
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Name | |
Other nicknames | |
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Ballpark | |
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Major league titles | |
AL Pennants (1) | 2008 • 2020 |
Division titles (1) | 2008 |
Wild card berths (0) | none |
Front office | |
Owner(s) | Stuart Sternberg |
Manager | Kevin Cash |
General Manager | Erik Neander |
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team that plays in St. Petersburg, Florida. They play in the American League East division. From 1998 until November 2007, They were known as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In 2008, the team changed their name to the "Rays". Their home stadium is Tropicana Field located in St, Petersburg.
History
[change | change source]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/The_skipper%2C_Joe_Maddon_lr.jpg/200px-The_skipper%2C_Joe_Maddon_lr.jpg)
The Rays played their first game on March 31, 1998 against the Detroit Tigers (as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays), which they lost 11-6.[1] They were one of the least successful teams in the Major Leagues until 2008, when they finished in first place in the American League East and had one of the best records in baseball. They made it to the World Series but were beaten by Philadelphia in five games. Evan Longoria brought the team's first AL Rookie of the Year award to the team on November 10, 2008. The Rays returned to the World Series in 2020 but lost again, this time to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
On November 8, 2007, the team changed its name to Tampa Bay Rays. The "Devil Ray" mascot was a type of stingray. While this is still a mascot of theirs, the new "Rays" name is said to represent the sunshine in Florida.
Rivalries
[change | change source]The Rays have rivalries with two teams. The Boston Red Sox is one due to the 2008 American League Championship Series, the other is the Florida Marlins due their in-state location.[source?] When the Rays and Marlins meet during inter-league play (when the American League (Rays) and National League (Marlins) play each other) it is known as the "Citrus Series".[source?]
Season records
[change | change source]Year | Wins | Losses |
1998 | 63 | 99 |
1999 | 69 | 93 |
2000 | 69 | 92 |
2001 | 62 | 100 |
2002 | 55 | 106 |
2003 | 63 | 99 |
2004 | 70 | 91 |
2005 | 67 | 95 |
2006 | 61 | 101 |
2007 | 66 | 96 |
2008 | 97 | 65 |
Total | 742 | 1,037 |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Detroit Tigers vs Tampa Bay Devil Rays March 31, 1998 Box Score". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
Other websites
[change | change source]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)