Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, has become an unlikely focal point of the 2026 World Series as the Tampa Bay Rays returned to their home stadium on Monday night for Game 3 after a season-long absence. The Rays, playing their first postseason games at the Trop since returning in 2026, were greeted by a sellout crowd of over 40,000 enthusiastic fans waving towels and ringing cowbells, hoping to energize the team after two narrow losses in Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Brewers currently lead the series 2-0 and are two wins away from securing the franchise’s first World Series championship. The Rays, meanwhile, need to win four of the remaining five games to capture their first title in their 29-year history.
Tropicana Field sustained significant damage in October 2024 when Hurricane Milton swept through downtown St. Petersburg, ripping off the stadium’s roof and causing extensive structural harm. The destruction forced the Rays to relocate for the entire 2025 season, during which they played at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training facility of the New York Yankees. Following nearly $60 million in repairs to replace the roof and restore the stadium, the Rays returned to the Trop at the start of the current season.
During the renovation period, the team was sold to a new ownership group led by real estate developer Patrick Zalupski. The new owners secured final county approval this past August for a $2.3 billion project to build a 31,000-seat ballpark in Tampa near the NFL’s Buccaneers stadium. The planned venue, described by the Rays as their “forever home,” is slated to open in 2029 within a larger mixed-use entertainment district, generating anticipation among players and fans alike.
While Tropicana Field’s unconventional design—including its concrete exterior, massive sloping dome, and cavernous indoor feel—lacks the classic charm of many ballparks, it remains beloved by the Rays and their supporters. Second baseman Richie Palacios expressed excitement about playing at the Trop, noting the team’s strong performance there during the regular season and the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a passionate home crowd.
The stadium’s distinctive features include a unique catwalk system consisting of four circular steel rings suspended beneath the non-retractable roof. Under stadium ground rules, balls hitting the lower two catwalks are ruled home runs, while those striking the upper rings remain in play. This element adds a layer of complexity for players and managers, with Brewers manager Pat Murphy acknowledging the adjustments required to succeed there.
In addition to structural quirks, Tropicana Field stands out as the only Major League Baseball park where fans can touch live stingrays housed in a 10,000-gallon tank beyond the right-center field fence. The tank’s residents, seven cownose rays that endured Hurricane Milton, returned to the stadium for opening day, becoming a unique attraction. Players and visiting team members have expressed surprise and interest in the aquatic feature.
Despite past mixed fan attendance—ranging near the bottom of the league in average attendance—the Rays have enjoyed fervent support throughout the postseason, filling Tropicana Field with energy not always seen during regular seasons. This energized home atmosphere aims to inspire the Rays as they aim to close the gap in the World Series and potentially raise their first championship banner in their soon-to-be former stadium.