Baseball and Rays return to Tropicana Field four weeks early
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Baseball got here early to Tropicana Field this yr and the Tampa Bay Rays will look to make use of it as a bonus.
Four weeks earlier than the common season opener in opposition to Detroit, Tampa Bay and Minnesota took batting apply as rock music performed in preparation for a spring coaching recreation Thursday contained in the Rays’ house ballpark.
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The Rays are splitting their spring coaching between the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee and Tropicana Field as a result of their very own facility on Florida’s Gulf Coast was broken by Hurricane Ian in September. After exercises and one recreation at Disney in opposition to the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay shifted its operations to St. Petersburg, with the remainder of the house spring coaching video games scheduled on the domed stadium.
“It feels good,” Rays supervisor Kevin Cash mentioned Thursday. “I’m excited to be here. Thrilled with how Disney turned out. Hopefully everybody has taken that mindset that it’s nice to get to spend an extra month in your ballpark, and in your own bed.”
Rays infielder David Robertson famous taking part in at Tropicana Field offers a “cool” alternative for gamers that haven’t been within the stadium. It additionally provides them an opportunity to reside a serious league life at spring coaching if you usually don’t get that likelihood.
“The guy kind of knocking on the door of the big leagues getting a feel for it,” Robertson mentioned. “The settings, the roof, the turf. Hey, my purpose is to play right here in some unspecified time in the future.”
There had been a sequence of changes to get Tropicana Field prepared.
The Rays are utilizing two clubhouses for the practically 80 gamers in camp. Team meals are being served within the media eating room, which is an elevator experience from the clubhouse degree.
Workouts are additionally deliberate on the close by Huggins-Stengel Field advanced, the place Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden, took half in spring coaching.
“We will make it work,” Cash mentioned. “A lot of moving parts but confident we’ll settle in here pretty quickly.”
The keep at house permits gamers to get snug with the common season housing as a substitute of constructing the transition at spring coaching’s finish.
There might be possibilities to play within the sunshine because the palm timber sway within the breeze when the workforce performs on the highway.
“I like Port Charlotte and being outside. Certainly like Boc Grande, there’s nice boating there afterwards,” Cash mentioned with a smile. “But no, we’re going to play sufficient at visiting ballparks to get all that in.”
There was a second of silence earlier than the sport to recollect these killed by Hurricane Ian.
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