1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season
Inaugural season ends with MLB's second-worst record.
The 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was the franchise's inaugural campaign in Major League Baseball. Managed by Larry Rothschild, the team finished last in the American League East with a 63–99 record, 51 games behind the World Champion New York Yankees. Their record was the worst in the American League and second worst in MLB, ahead of only the defending World Series champion Florida Marlins.
Quick Facts
- Season
- 1998
- League
- American League
- Division
- East
- Ballpark
- Tropicana Field
- City
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Record
- 63–99 (.389)
- Divisional place
- 5th
- Owners
- Vince Naimoli
Facts from the source article.
Offseason
The Devil Rays began building their roster well before the 1998 season. On March 11, 1997, they signed Luis Polonia as a free agent, followed by Pete Laforest on May 10. In the June 1997 amateur draft, the team selected Jason Standridge in the first round (31st pick) and Kenny Kelly in the second round; both signed later that month. On November 11, 1997, Tampa Bay acquired Mike Kelly from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for a player to be named later, sending Dmitri Young to complete the trade on November 18. Wade Boggs signed as a free agent on December 9, 1997, and Scott McClain followed on December 16. Josías Manzanillo was signed on December 18, 1997. On January 27, 1998, the Devil Rays signed both Dave Silvestri and Jerome Walton as free agents. As an expansion team, Tampa Bay participated fully in the 1996 and 1997 MLB drafts, selecting 97 players in 1996 and 92 in 1997. Among those signed were pitcher Dan Wheeler (34th round, 1996), catcher Toby Hall (ninth round, 1997), infielder Jared Sandberg (16th round, 1996), and outfielder Alex Sánchez (fifth round, 1996). The team's farm system included three minor-league affiliates in 1996 and five in 1997, with the Hudson Valley affiliation shared with the Texas Rangers. The St. Petersburg affiliate won a league championship.
Regular season
The Devil Rays played their inaugural game on March 31, 1998, at home against the Detroit Tigers, losing 11–6 before 45,369 fans. The franchise's first win came the next day, an 11–8 comeback victory with Rolando Arrojo as the winning pitcher. On May 26, 1998, Jerome Walton was released. In the June 1998 amateur draft, the team selected Aubrey Huff in the fifth round; he signed on June 17. Josías Manzanillo was released on July 1, 1998. The first interleague game between the Devil Rays and the Florida Marlins took place on June 22 at Tropicana Field, a 3–2 Marlins win in twelve innings. The season series, known as the Citrus Series, was won by the Marlins three games to one: the Devil Rays lost 3–2 on June 22, won 6–4 on June 23, lost 8–4 on June 24, and lost 5–1 on June 25.
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