Thunderdome Debut Season Run

Lore & Background

Tropicana Field opened in 1990 and was originally known as the Florida Suncoast Dome. In 1993, the Tampa Bay Lightning moved to the facility and its name was changed to the ThunderDome until the team moved to its new home in downtown Tampa in 1996. In October 1996, Tropicana Products signed a 30-year naming rights deal. The stadium's location and design have been widely criticized, and it is often cited as one of the worst stadiums in MLB.

On October 9, 2024, much of the translucent, fiberglass roof membrane was destroyed by Hurricane Milton. Repairs began in July 2025 and were completed in April 2026. Due to the hurricane damage, the Rays played all of their home games for the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa before returning to Tropicana Field on April 6, 2026, with a 6–4 win over the Chicago Cubs. As of March 2026, the Rays are advancing a new, potentially $2.3B stadium project on the Hillsborough Community College Dale Mabry campus.

Reader's Guide

Tropicana Field is located in St. Petersburg, Florida. It features a fixed dome, artificial turf (FieldTurf Duo), and a live cownose ray tank behind center field. The stadium's capacity was artificially reduced to 36,048 for the 2008 regular season by tarping the top third of the upper-deck seating. Notable features include golden seats and plaques commemorating Wade Boggs' 3,000th hit and his first Devil Rays home run.

Did You Know?

• Tropicana Field hosted the first official use of instant replay in MLB history on September 3, 2008, during a game between the Rays and the New York Yankees.
• The first regular-season baseball game at Tropicana Field was on March 31, 1998, when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays lost 11–6 to the Detroit Tigers.
• Tropicana Field's roof was destroyed by Hurricane Milton on October 9, 2024; repairs were completed in April 2026.