History of Tropicana Field in Timeline

Tropicana Field, located in St. Petersburg, Florida, is a domed multipurpose stadium and the home of the Tampa Bay Rays since 1998. It's also used for college football and formerly hosted the St. Petersburg Bowl. Notably, it's the only nonretractable domed stadium in MLB. With tarps covering obstructed-view seats for most Rays games, Tropicana Field has the smallest seating capacity among MLB stadiums.

1976: Tropicana field first artificial turf with full dirt infield

Since Tropicana Field does not need to convert between baseball and football, Tropicana became the first artificial turf field with a full dirt infield since Busch Stadium II in 1976.

1979: St. Petersburg City Council Voted to Refurbish the Neighborhood

In 1979, the St. Petersburg City Council voted to refurbish the Gas Plant neighborhood with plans for new housing and an industrial park.

1982: Council voted to lease the land

In 1982, the council voted unanimously to follow through with the baseball hopes and lease the land to the sports authority for $1 a year.

1983: Early Baseball Park Designs Proposed

In 1983, possible designs for a baseball park or multipurpose stadium in St. Petersburg were proposed, with one design resembling Kauffman Stadium.

1984: Mention of 'The Natural' Movie

In 2011, after Sean Rodriguez hit a foul popup that shattered a lightbulb on a catwalk, while there was cleaning delay the Tropicana Field public address system played the theme to 'The Natural', a 1984 film that prominently features a hit baseball striking and shattering a stadium light fixture.

Loading Video...

1986: Construction Begins on Domed Stadium

Construction began in 1986 on a stadium with a fixed permanent dome, aimed at attracting an MLB team to the area.

1986: Gas Plant Neighborhood Displacement

In 1986, the Gas Plant neighborhood, which occupied the land where Tropicana Field now sits, was displaced.

1987: Discovery of Hazardous Chemicals

In 1987, during the construction of Tropicana Field, hazardous chemicals were found in the soil around the construction site, leading to a costly cleanup effort by the city.

June 29, 1990: Don Henley Concert

On June 29, 1990, Don Henley held a concert at Tropicana Field, one of the first large events after the venue's completion.

August 1990: New Kids on the Block Concert

In August 1990, the boy band New Kids on the Block held a concert at Tropicana Field, which became the venue's largest concert attendance.

1990: Opening of the Florida Suncoast Dome

In 1990, the stadium now known as Tropicana Field opened as the Florida Suncoast Dome.

1990: Stadium Completed but Without Tenants

In 1990, the stadium was finished, hosted the Davis Cup Finals and rock concerts, but still had no regular tenants.

1991: Tampa Bay Storm Debut

In 1991, the Suncoast Dome gained its first regular tenant with the debut of the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm.

November 1992: National League Owners Block Sale of Giants

In November 1992, National League owners blocked the sale and relocation of the San Francisco Giants to Tampa Bay.

1992: World of Outlaws Sprint Cars Race

In 1992, the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars raced at the Suncoast Dome on February 7–9 as part of Florida Speedweeks, which included events at several tracks throughout the month.

1993: MLB Expansion Loss

In 1993, St. Petersburg was a finalist in the MLB expansion but lost out to Miami and Denver.

1993: Tampa Bay Lightning Move In and Renaming to ThunderDome

In 1993, the Tampa Bay Lightning moved to the Florida Suncoast Dome, which was subsequently renamed the ThunderDome.

1995: MLB Expansion to Tampa Bay

In 1995, MLB expanded to the Tampa Bay area, awarding the ThunderDome a baseball team.

October 1996: Naming Rights Deal with Tropicana Products

In October 1996, Tropicana Products, a fruit juice company, secured a 30-year naming rights deal, leading to the stadium's name being changed to Tropicana Field.

1996: SCCA Trans-Am Series Race

In 1996, an SCCA Trans-Am Series race was held on a temporary course at Tropicana Field, encompassing the parking lot and surrounding streets.

1996: Opening of Amalie Arena

In 1996, the opening of Amalie Arena in nearby Tampa began to curtail the concert slate at Tropicana Field.

1996: Renaming to Tropicana Field

In 1996, the stadium's naming rights were sold to Tropicana Products, and it was renamed Tropicana Field.

March 31, 1998: First Regular-Season Baseball Game

On March 31, 1998, the first regular-season baseball game took place at Tropicana Field, with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays losing to the Detroit Tigers 11–6. Luis Gonzalez hit the first home run, and Wade Boggs hit the first Devil Rays homer.

May 29, 1998: Edgar Martínez Home Run

On May 29, 1998, Edgar Martínez of the Seattle Mariners became the first player to hit the rings for a home run, hitting the D ring.

1998: Inaugural Season of Tampa Bay Rays

In 1998, Tropicana Field became the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball for the team's inaugural season.

1998: Tropicana Purchased by PepsiCo

In 1998, Tropicana was purchased by PepsiCo, but the company refrained from changing the park's naming rights.

1998: Establishment of the (Devil) Rays

In 1998, the establishment of the (Devil) Rays caused a considerable decrease in the number of large concerts at Tropicana Field due to the team's 81-game home schedule.

May 2, 1999: José Canseco Ball Stuck in Catwalk

On May 2, 1999, José Canseco hit a ball that stuck in the B ring catwalk, marking the first instance of this happening at Tropicana Field.

1999: Wade Boggs' 3,000th Hit

In 1999, Wade Boggs hit his 3,000th hit at Tropicana Field, a home run commemorated with golden seats and plaques.

2000: AstroTurf Replaced with FieldTurf

In 2000, the AstroTurf surface at Tropicana Field was replaced by softer FieldTurf.

2004: Opening of MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre

In 2004, the opening of the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre further curtailed the concert slate at Tropicana Field.

May 12, 2006: Jonny Gomes Fly Ball Incident

On May 12, 2006, Devil Rays outfielder Jonny Gomes hit a long fly ball that hit the B ring, got stuck momentarily, and was caught by Toronto shortstop John McDonald. Umpires eventually ruled against the Rays.

2006: $25 Million Facelift and Ray Tank Addition

In 2006, Tropicana Field underwent a $25 million facelift, with a live cownose ray tank added behind the center field wall.

June 2007: Sha Na Na Concert

In June 2007, the first after-baseball concert featured Sha Na Na, which was successful and led to the booking of a series of shows for the following season.

August 6, 2007: Replacement of AstroTurf warning track

On August 6, 2007, the AstroTurf warning track was replaced by brown-colored, stone-filled FieldTurf Duo.

2007: Rays Summer Concert Series

Beginning in 2007, the Rays organized a "Summer Concert Series" featuring a mix of major and lesser-known performers after select home games, included with the price of the game ticket.

2007: Additional Improvements Including New FieldTurf and Video Board

In 2007, further improvements were made, including new FieldTurf, family features, a premium club, and a larger Daktronics LED main video board with HDTV capabilities.

May 26, 2008: Carlos Peña Pop Fly Incident

On May 26, 2008, Carlos Peña hit a pop fly that hit the B ring catwalk and did not come down. Peña was mistakenly given a home run, but after deliberation, the umpires awarded him a ground rule double.

September 3, 2008: First Official Use of Instant Replay in MLB

On September 3, 2008, during a game between the Rays and the Yankees, Tropicana Field had the first official use of instant replay in MLB.

October 2, 2008: Evan Longoria Home Run

On October 2, 2008, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria became the first player to hit the rings for a home run in postseason play, hitting the C ring off Javier Vázquez in game 1 of the 2008 American League Division Series.

October 14, 2008: Upper-Deck Tarps Removed

On October 14, 2008, the Rays announced that the upper-deck tarps would be removed for the remainder of the postseason, increasing stadium capacity.

October 2008: First Baseball Postseason Games Hosted

In October 2008, Tropicana Field hosted its first baseball postseason games, including the World Series where Chase Utley hit the first World Series home run at the stadium.

June 25, 2010: Edwin Jackson's No-Hitter

On June 25, 2010, Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitched the first no-hitter at Tropicana Field.

July 26, 2010: Matt Garza's No-Hitter

On July 26, 2010, Matt Garza achieved the first no-hitter in Rays' history at Tropicana Field, facing the minimum 27 batters.

August 5, 2010: Jason Kubel Infield Pop-Up Incident

On August 5, 2010, Jason Kubel of the Minnesota Twins hit an infield pop-up that struck the A ring, allowing the Twins to score the go-ahead run in a controversial game.

October 4, 2010: MLB Ground Rule Change

On October 4, 2010, Major League Baseball approved a change in the ground rules for the A and B rings, making it so that a batted ball striking either of the two rings was automatically ruled a dead ball.

July 17, 2011: Sean Rodriguez Incident

On July 17, 2011, Rays batter Sean Rodriguez hit a foul popup that shattered a lightbulb on a catwalk, causing a brief delay in the game against the Red Sox.

June 24, 2013: Consecutive Home Runs by Rays Players

On June 24, 2013, James Loney, Wil Myers, and Sam Fuld hit consecutive home runs, a first at Tropicana Field.

May 2015: Rays-Orioles Series Moved to Tropicana Field

In May 2015, a series between the Rays and Orioles was moved from Baltimore to Tropicana Field due to rioting.

August 2017: Astros Played Home Series at Tropicana Field

In August 2017, due to Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Astros played one "home" series against the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field.

2017: Dwindling Postgame Concerts

In 2017, the number of postgame concerts at Tropicana Field dwindled to two.

June 2018: Clint Frazier Fly Ball Incident

In June 2018, New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier's fly ball bounced off a speaker hanging from the B ring and was caught for an out, potentially costing the Yankees a home run and a lead. The Rays won in extra innings.

July 2018: Proposal to Replace Facility with Ybor Stadium

In July 2018, a proposal was unveiled to replace Tropicana Field with Ybor Stadium.

2018: Discontinuation of the Concert Series

Before the 2018 season, the Rays announced they would discontinue the concert series due to "stress on the artificial turf".

2018: Rays average attendance

The Tampa Bay Rays average attendance in the 2018 season was just over 14,000.

December 31, 2018: Deadline for Negotiations with Hillsborough County Officials

The City of St. Petersburg granted the Rays until December 31, 2018, to continue negotiations with Hillsborough County officials regarding the Ybor Stadium plan.

2019: Upper Decks Closed and Capacity Reduced

For the 2019 season, Tropicana Field closed its upper decks, reducing the stadium's capacity to around 25,000, the lowest in the league.

December 11, 2020: WWE ThunderDome Residency

On December 11, 2020, WWE began broadcasting its weekly shows and PPV events from Tropicana Field in a residency, filming behind closed doors in a biosecure bubble called the WWE ThunderDome due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

December 2020: WWE ThunderDome Hosted at Tropicana Field

From December 2020, the stadium hosted WWE, broadcasting its shows from a behind-closed-doors set called the WWE ThunderDome.

January 26, 2021: Proposals to redevelop Tropicana Field site unveiled

On January 26, 2021, seven different proposals to redevelop the Tropicana Field site were unveiled, some with and some without a new stadium.

March 24, 2021: WWE ThunderDome Relocation Announcement

On March 24, 2021, WWE announced that the ThunderDome would be relocated to the Yuengling Center in Tampa, beginning with the April 12 episode of Raw, due to the approaching 2021 MLB season.

April 2021: WWE ThunderDome Relocation

In April 2021, due to the start of the 2021 Tampa Bay Rays season, WWE ThunderDome relocated from Tropicana Field to Yuengling Center in Tampa.

April 27, 2023: Return of Summer Concert Series

On April 27, 2023, the Rays announced the return of the Summer Concert Series to celebrate their 25th anniversary season, with AJR as the first announced artist.

2023: Announcement of Gas Plant Stadium Deal

In 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays announced a deal with local politicians to build Gas Plant Stadium, a new stadium near Tropicana Field.

September 22, 2024: Last home game for the Rays at Tropicana Field

Unless the Rays return to the stadium after 2025, the last home game for the Rays at Tropicana Field was on September 22, 2024, where the Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4–3.

October 9, 2024: Hurricane Milton Damages Tropicana Field Roof

On October 9, 2024, Hurricane Milton caused significant damage to the translucent, fiberglass roof membrane of Tropicana Field.

October 31, 2024: St. Petersburg City Council voted on remediation

On October 31, 2024, the St. Petersburg City Council voted on $6.5 million in remediation for Tropicana Field. A detailed assessment shows the stadium can be repaired for about $55 million and be ready in time for the 2026 season.

November 14, 2024: Rays announce 2025 home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field

On November 14, 2024, the Rays announced they would play all of their home games for the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field, a nearby stadium that serves as the spring-training home of the New York Yankees.

November 21, 2024: St. Petersburg initially voted to spend $23 million to fix the roof of Tropicana Field, but later reversed course

On November 21, 2024, St. Petersburg initially voted 4–3 to spend $23 million to fix the roof of Tropicana Field, but later reversed course.

2024: WWE Royal Rumble Event

In 2024, Tropicana Field hosted the WWE Royal Rumble event, setting an attendance record of a reported 48,044 fans.

2024: Unique Bullpen Design

In 2024, Tropicana Field's bullpen design, located along the foul lines without barriers separating them from the field of play, remains unique in MLB.

January 27, 2025: Mayor Welch states Tropicana Field can be repaired in time for the 2026 baseball season

On January 27, 2025, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch stated that Tropicana Field can be repaired in time for the 2026 baseball season.

March 2025: Gas Plant Stadium project cancelled

In March 2025 the Gas Plant Stadium project was ultimately cancelled with the team stating that they are considering a redevelopment of Tropicana Field with a long term lease instead.