All the places the Rays have called their home away from home

ST. PETERSBURG -- As the club’s new owners are looking for their “forever home,” the Rays’ excitement is building for their return to Tropicana Field.

Opened in 1990 as the Florida Suncoast Dome before a stint as the ThunderDome and eventually renamed Tropicana Field in 1996, the dome has been Tampa Bay’s primary home ballpark since its inaugural season in 1998. It played host to the club’s Devil Rays days and saw the transition into the consistently more competitive Rays, hosting playoff series and even World Series games in 2008.

• History of the Trop

But the Rays have called other ballparks home, too -- at least temporarily. They memorably spent the 2025 season playing all their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field due to the damage The Trop sustained during Hurricane Milton, but they have been the home team at five other parks as well.

Let’s take a look back at all the places the Rays have called their home away from home during the regular season and postseason.

George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa
When: 2025
Record: 41-40
The story: Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in October 2024, Tropicana Field was deemed unplayable for the following season. That forced the Rays to look elsewhere for a temporary home. Fortunately, they found one just across the bay: George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ Spring Training ballpark and home to the Single-A Tampa Tarpons.

With a big assist from the Yankees, Rays staff rapidly transformed the ballpark into one that felt more like home. They benefited from the recently renovated home clubhouse facilities, which were on par with any big league ballpark, and somehow went all season without having a home game rained out.

There were some challenges. The heat and humidity, plus the frequent afternoon rain, made pregame work more difficult. The games were hot, too, especially the early starts. And the ballpark’s Yankee Stadium-like dimensions made for a more hitter-friendly environment -- except, oddly, in the early going, when it proved to be wildly unpredictable.

But they managed to extend their streak of winning records at home to nine straight years. And for a one-year stay in the wake of a natural disaster that affected their home ballpark and the Tampa Bay area as a whole, the Rays were grateful to have the option to stay so close to home.

Globe Life Field, Arlington
When: Oct. 23-25, 2020
Record: 1-2
The story: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire 2020 World Series was played at a neutral site: Globe Life Field, the Rangers’ brand-new ballpark in Arlington. It was the first neutral-site Fall Classic in modern history, but they still had to designate someone as the home team and someone as the visitors.

Since the National League champion Dodgers finished the shortened season with a 43-17 record, compared to the American League champion Rays’ 40-20 mark, Los Angeles got to bat last in Games 1, 2 and 6. Tampa Bay was the home team for Games 3, 4 and 5.

The Rays lost Game 3, 6-2, and dropped Game 5, 4-2. But Game 4 provided one of the most memorable moments in franchise history: Brett Phillips’ outfield hit, which led to Randy Arozarena scoring the winning run, which led to Phillips flying around the outfield in celebration.

Petco Park, San Diego
When: Oct. 5-17, 2020
Record: 5-2
The story: After sweeping the Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card Round at Tropicana Field, the Rays reported to Petco Park for the neutral-site AL Division Series and Championship Series rounds. (The other ALDS was at Dodger Stadium. The NLDS took place in Houston and Arlington.) They took both series to the limit but won the final game each time.

The Rays beat the Yankees in Game 5 of the ALDS thanks to a brilliant pitching plan and performance, punctuated by a poetic home run by Mike Brosseau off Aroldis Chapman. In the ALCS, they jumped out to an early lead and held off the Astros to advance to the World Series for the second time in franchise history. Oddly, they went 5-2 as the “home” team and 2-3 as the “road” team.

Citi Field, New York
When: Sept. 11-13, 2017
Record: 1-2
The story: In late August 2017, the Rays opened Tropicana Field to the Astros, who had been displaced from their home in Houston by Hurricane Harvey. Not long after, the Rays had to make a similar move themselves, as MLB shifted their series against the Yankees from St. Petersburg to the Mets’ Citi Field to keep the clubs out of the path of Hurricane Irma. Playing as the home team in New York, the Rays dropped two of three games and lost the series.

The Ballpark / Champion Stadium, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
When: May 15-17, 2007, and April 22-24, 2008
Record: 6-0
The story: The Rays have some history at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Their former Orlando Rays affiliate once resided there. When the Charlotte Sports Park complex was damaged in Hurricane Ian, the Rays moved the first phase of Spring Training 2023 to the Disney complex that hosted Braves Spring Training for 22 years. But Tampa Bay also played two big league series there -- and never lost a game.

Looking to expand their fanbase from the Tampa Bay area into central Florida, the Rays hosted the Rangers in May 2007 then swept a three-game series against the Blue Jays in April 2008.

Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
When: March 30-31, 2004
Record: 1-1
The story: Major League Baseball went overseas for the first time in 2000, as the Tokyo Dome hosted two games between the Mets and Cubs to begin the season. The then-Devil Rays and Yankees followed four years later, as Tampa Bay claimed an 8-3 victory on Opening Day before dropping a 12-1 decision the next day.

Japanese superstar Hideki Matsui was the big draw for the Yankees, and he led New York to victory in the second game. But the Devil Rays won the international opener thanks to home runs by Tino Martinez and José Cruz Jr., three RBIs from Toby Hall and a quality start by Victor Zambrano. Both games were played before crowds of 55,000.