Tampa Bay Rays

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Following nearly three decades of unsuccessfully trying to gain an expansion franchise or enticing existing teams to relocate to the Tampa Bay area, an ownership group led by Vince Naimoli was approved on March 9, 1995. The team began play as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1998 Major League Baseball season. The team's first decade of play was marked by futility; they finished in last place in the AL East in all but the 2004 season, when they finished second to last. Following the 2007 season, Stuart Sternberg, who had purchased controlling interest in the team from Vince Naimoli two years earlier, changed the team's name from 'Devil Rays' to 'Rays', now meaning both manta rays and rays of sunshine; a manta ray logo appears on the uniform sleeves while a sunburst appears on the uniform front. The 2008 season saw the Rays post their first winning season, their first AL East championship, and their first American League pennant (defeating the rival Boston Red Sox in the ALCS), though they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in that year's World Series. Since then, the Rays have been much more successful, becoming AL East champions three more times and clinching the American League's wild card five more times, leading to another American League pennant again in 2020 before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in that year's World Series. The Rays are one of five MLB teams to not have a World Series title yet, the others being the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, and Seattle Mariners.

In Their Own Story

The 2011 season finale remains one of the rivalry's most dramatic chapters. With Boston and Tampa tied in the Wild Card race on the last day, Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford missed a fly ball against Baltimore, costing his team the game. Simultaneously, Rays star Evan Longoria hit a walk-off home run against the Yankees to secure the Wild Card berth, effectively eliminating Boston from playoff contention. Crawford, who had been a former Rays All-Star before being traded to Los Angeles the following year, later described the environment in Boston as "toxic." Tensions flared again in 2014 when Chris Archer criticized David Ortiz's home run celebration, claiming Ortiz acted like he was "bigger than the game of baseball," while Ortiz dismissed the rookie who had "only two days in the league." In 2021, controversy erupted during a Division Series after rumors surfaced that the Rays ordered champagne for an expected series victory at Fenway Park, which Red Sox player Alex Verdugo called disrespectful.

Reader's Guide

The Tampa Bay Rays' chief rivals are the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, which also play in the AL East. Regarding the former, there have been several notable on-field incidents. The Rays also have an in-state interleague rivalry with the Miami Marlins (originally the Florida Marlins). Through 2025, the Rays' all-time record is 2,168–2,264 (.489).

Did You Know?

• The Rays were originally named the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but the name was changed after the 2007 season.
• The team's first American League pennant came in 2008, when they defeated the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS.
• The Rays have never won a World Series, one of five MLB teams without a title.