Hundreds of Tampa Bay Rays fans packed into Tropicana Field on Sunday night, not to watch their team play in person, but to cheer on a road win in Cleveland from the big screen. The Rays delivered, beating the Guardians 3-1 behind seven strong innings from pitcher Drew Rasmussen, who allowed just one run to push Tampa Bay ahead 3-2 in the American League Championship Series.
The watch party unfolded in the St. Petersburg stadium's seating bowl, where fans tracked the action from Cleveland on the ballpark's massive videoboard, a 171-by-36-foot LED screen, according to WUSF. For road games during this ALCS run, the Trop has offered fans several ways in, including an $8 general admission ticket, a $25 pass that lets fans onto the field to play catch with tennis balls, and a $60 all-inclusive package with food and drinks in the left-field 162 Landing area, per the same station's reporting.
As FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported from inside the stadium, families used the gathering as a chance to play catch on the field, get face painting, collect giveaways, and snap photos with mascots Raymond and DJ Kitty. For fans like Cesar Larios Sr. and Cesar Larios Jr., who share a family tradition of cheering for Tampa Bay, the night offered a taste of postseason atmosphere without the cost or hassle of flying to Ohio. Cesar Larios Sr. said he believed the Rays could win the championship, per the station's reporting.
A Pennant Chase Three Years in the Making
Sunday's win puts the Rays one victory away from their third American League pennant and a shot at the franchise's first World Series title. Tampa Bay has reached the World Series twice before, in 2008 and 2020, but has never won it all, as theScore notes. The run follows a dominant regular season in which the Rays won 98 games and clinched their fifth AL East division title on September 22, a stretch that included Rasmussen taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning during the division-clinching win over New York, according to The Associated Press.
Fans at the Trop will get another shot to cheer the team toward a pennant soon. Game 6 watch party attendees are expected back at the stadium, with rally towels waiting on every seat, per the station's report. Doors open at 5 p.m. local time, with first pitch set for 8 p.m.
A Familiar Face Hyping the Crowd
Former Rays outfielder Brett Phillips, best remembered for his walk-off hit in Game 4 of the 2020 World Series, has served as the official emcee for the ALCS watch parties at Tropicana Field, according to WTSP. His presence has added a jolt of nostalgia to a stadium still basking in its own comeback story this season.
Strong Record, Modest Crowds
The enthusiasm inside the Trop for these watch parties has come alongside ongoing scrutiny of the Rays' regular-season attendance. Tampa Bay ranked 28th out of 30 MLB teams in home attendance in 2026, averaging roughly 17,000 fans per game, a gap between on-field success and in-person turnout that The Big Lead has flagged as a recurring talking point this postseason.
That the Rays are hosting any gatherings at Tropicana Field at all carries its own weight this year. The dome underwent extensive repairs after Hurricane Milton tore off significant portions of its roof in October 2024, forcing the team to play away from its home stadium until repairs cleared the way for a 2026 return. Ahead of this season, the Rays also privately funded interior renovations, converting back-of-house storage space into the DEX Imaging Home Plate Club and adding live chef action stations to the fourth-floor Baldwin Group Club, upgrades the team made before hosting any of this fall's postseason crowds.
Looking Ahead to a New Ballpark in Tampa
Even as fans rally around the current stadium, local officials continue laying groundwork for its eventual successor. Hillsborough County commissioners approved $10 million in road widening projects around Hillsborough Community College on October 14, supporting a proposed $2.3 billion, 28,000-seat Rays ballpark in Tampa targeted to open in 2029. For now, though, the focus in St. Petersburg is squarely on Game 6, with fans set to return to Tropicana Field hoping to watch their team clinch a pennant from the stands they know best.
