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Tampa Bay Rays introduce new home at Steinbrenner Field ahead of Opening Day

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Published  March 26, 2025 1:26pm EDT
Tampa Bay Rays
FOX 13 News

Rays introduce new home at Steinbrenner Field

FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports on the Rays gearing up for Opening Day on Friday as they installed nearly 3,000 pieces of Rays branding into their new home ballpark.

The Brief

    • The Tampa Bay Rays introduced their new home at Steinbrenner Field ahead of Opening Day.
    • The decision to move the Rays' home to Steinbrenner Field was made after the Tropicana Field roof was destroyed by the strong winds during Hurricane Milton.
    • Steinbrenner Field will house up to 10,000 fans on game days.

TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Rays are gearing up for Opening Day on Friday as the organization held a kick-off event on Wednesday to introduce Steinbrenner Field to the public.

The decision to move the Rays' home to Steinbrenner Field was made after the Tropicana Field roof was destroyed by the strong winds during Hurricane Milton.

Local perspective:

300 full-time employees at Tropicana Field were displaced, according to the team.

Some of the new projects include new broadcast cables, a new umpire's compound, an expanded visitor's clubhouse and upgraded Wi-Fi connectivity.

Rays signage in locker rooms at Steinbrenner Field.

Rays Chief Business Officer says the progress they have made on the stadium has been good.

"There's a lot of logos here. This is a well-branded ballpark for the Yankees organization, and we had to make some choices along the way, right? I think our goal all along was not to, you know, eliminate every vestige of the Yankees organization, but rather when you're walking around as a fan, walking around the concourse, getting concessions, cheering the team on in the seating bowl, that you really felt that this was our home and that was our home field advantage."

The Rays say that they have installed 3,000 pieces of Rays branding that would stretch a mile long.

Some of those logos have been put up in center field, on top of the stadium bowl and in the hallways leading to the seating area.

Steinbrenner Field

Retired numbers and the George Steinbrenner statue will remain along with Yankees logos on the seating aisles.

Yankees-branded stores will be replaced with Rays' team shops.

Steinbrenner Field

Steinbrenner Field will house up to 10,000 fans on game days.

READ: Tampa Bay Rays introduce clear bag policy for 2025 season

The stadium features new premium and group spaces for entertaining and hospitality.

Two new LED boards have been installed along the first and third baselines.

The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Tampa Bay Rays.

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