- Date:
- 1998 - present
- Headquarters:
- St. Petersburg
- Areas Of Involvement:
- Baseball
- Related People:
- Manny Ramirez
Tampa Bay Rays
News •
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Who are the Tampa Bay Rays?
The Tampa Bay Rays are a professional baseball team in St. Petersburg, Florida, that have been playing in the American League (AL) since 1998. Originally known as the Devil Rays, the team changed its name before the 2008 season.
Despite a decade of losing seasons, the Rays achieved a remarkable turnaround in 2008, led by manager Joe Maddon and young stars like Evan Longoria and Scott Kazmir, reaching the World Series but ultimately losing to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The team has since made multiple playoff appearances, including a World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, solidifying their position as a competitive force in Major League Baseball.
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Where do the Tampa Bay Rays play their home games?
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida, that plays in the American League (AL). They began playing in 1998 and were known as the Devil Rays until the end of the 2007 season.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
When were the Tampa Bay Rays founded?
The Tampa Bay Rays, an American professional baseball team, were founded in 1998. Originally known as the Devil Rays, the team is based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and plays in the American League (AL). The Tampa Bay area had long been considered as a potential site for a major league baseball team, becoming a popular spring training location since 1913. The expansion team was granted to Tampa Bay at the 1995 Major League Baseball owner meetings.
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What league and division do the Tampa Bay Rays play in?
The Tampa Bay Rays are a professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and compete in the American League (AL).
Within the American League, the Rays are part of the AL East division, which includes the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays.
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Have the Tampa Bay Rays ever played in the World Series?
Yes, the Tampa Bay Rays, an American professional baseball team, have played in the World Series. They made it to the World Series in 2008, after a 29-game improvement from the previous season, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. In 2020, after a shortened season, they won their second pennant but were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
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Who are some famous players who have played for the Tampa Bay Rays?
The Tampa Bay Rays, an American professional baseball team, have had several notable players. Wade Boggs, a Tampa native and future Hall of Famer, joined the team months before their inaugural season in 1998. In 2008, young stars like Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Evan Longoria, and Carl Crawford led the Rays to their first playoff appearance. Despite losing the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies, their season was considered one of the greatest turnarounds in sports history.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Tampa Bay Rays, American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida, that plays in the American League (AL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Rays began play in 1998 and were known as the Devil Rays until the end of the 2007 season. The team has won three AL pennants (2008, 2020, and 2026).
In the years before the advent of the Rays, the Tampa–St. Petersburg area was often suggested as a relocation site for many struggling MLB teams. The region had been a center for major league spring training since the Chicago Cubs moved their operation to Tampa in 1913, and many teams expressed interest in moving to a site with a well-established fan base. However, no teams relocated to the area, and Tampa Bay went without a major league franchise until it was granted an expansion team at the 1995 owner meetings.
Months before their inaugural season began, Tampa Bay signed future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, who grew up in Tampa and further spurred fan interest in the new team. However, the Devil Rays franchise did not have an auspicious beginning: It posted losing records in each of its first 10 seasons and finished last in its division in every year save one, when it finished second to last.
In 2008 the newly renamed Rays engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in professional sports history. Behind the leadership of manager Joe Maddon and the play of young stars Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, Evan Longoria, and Carl Crawford, the Rays posted a 97–65 record—a 31-game improvement from their 2007 mark of 66–96—and qualified for the first playoff appearance in the franchise’s history as AL East Division champions. In the American League Championship Series, the Rays bested the defending world champion Boston Red Sox in seven games to advance to the World Series. The Rays lost the World Series in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies, but their 2008 season still stood as one of the most dramatic one-year turnarounds in sports history.
| season | record | playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 100–62 | lost ALDS |
| 2022 | 86–76 | lost Wild Card Series |
| 2023 | 99–63 | lost Wild Card Series |
| 2024 | 80–82 | missed playoffs |
| 2025 | 77–85 | missed playoffs |
| 2026 | 98–64 | lost World Series |
The Rays again reached the playoffs in 2010, and in 2011 they staged the greatest last-month comeback in MLB history. That season the team rallied from a nine-game deficit to the Red Sox in the Wild Card standings to clinch a playoff berth with a victory in the final game of the season, in which they trailed 7–0 in the eighth inning. However, the Rays lost their opening playoff series in both 2010 and 2011. The team won a one-game Wild Card postseason contest in 2013 but again lost in the Division Series round.
The Rays’ play then fell off, and Maddon departed for the Cubs after Tampa Bay finished the 2014 season with a losing record. That season marked the beginning of a four-year streak of losing seasons that was snapped in 2018 when the rebuilt Rays won a surprising 90 games but finished outside postseason qualification. Tampa Bay further improved in 2019, winning 96 games and the Wild Card Game to advance to the Division Series, which the Rays lost in five games.
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The Rays had the best record in the AL in 2020 (40–20, since MLB shortened its season amid the COVID-19 pandemic) and then won their second pennant with a seven-game ALCS victory over the Houston Astros. The franchise was denied its first championship, however, as the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in six games. In 2021 Tampa Bay again finished first overall in the AL (100–62), but their postseason was cut short when the team lost to Boston in the division series. The team had consecutive Wild Card Series losses in 2022 and 2023 before missing out on the playoffs in both 2024 and 2025.
Going into the 2026 season Tampa Bay was not expected to improve much on its 77–85 performance from the year before. Instead, the team rallied to a 98–64 finish, best in the AL. In the postseason, the Rays swept the New York Yankees in the Division Series before overcoming the Cleveland Guardians in six games in the ALCS. They then faced the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series. Tampa Bay was hoping to win its first championship, but it was the Brewers who finally claimed a World Series title, defeating the Rays in five games.