'Great American comeback story': Remarkable efforts restore Trop -- and Rays win!

ST. PETERSBURG -- About an hour before the Rays officially opened the gates of Tropicana Field for the first time in 561 days, CEO Ken Babby was marveling at what it took to get Tampa Bay’s home dome ready for Monday afternoon.

Parts of the ballpark smelled like wet paint. Even after noon, there was still drywall being installed. Staff were still scurrying around, making sure everything was in place. The mad dash to the finish line was made possible with “not a lot of sleep” and “a lot of energy,” Babby said.

But the gates opened on time at 2:10 p.m. Two hours later, Shane McClanahan fired a 93.4 mph fastball to Nico Hoerner. After nearly 18 months, a tremendous degree of uncertainty and an even greater amount of work to repair the destruction caused by Hurricane Milton, baseball was back at Tropicana Field.

Behind solid pitching and home runs by Cedric Mullins, Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda, the Rays gave the sold-out crowd of 25,114 something else to celebrate: a 6-4 win over the Cubs that improved their record to 5-5.

“This is a great American comeback story. When I walked into this building for the first time, I myself wondered if baseball would ever be played here again,” Babby said. “For our staff, for the city, for the community and for our fans, this is a true homecoming. It's a real incredible moment for baseball.”

If nothing else, it was an incredible day for the Rays on virtually every front.

McClanahan was hard on himself for walking four batters over four one-hit innings in his first home outing in 989 days, calling his inconsistent strike-throwing “kind of soft” and vowing to “clean it up.” But four relievers combined to allow only two runs on three hits, the defense was mistake-free, and the lineup continued to deliver big hits.

“It’s an important day in baseball. It’s certainly an important day for Rays baseball -- and unique,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Teams don’t go through maybe what we’ve gone through the last year and a half.

“When you’ve got the fans in the building, you want to put on a good show. And I felt like we did.”

That was true even before the Rays started launching balls into the seats, too.

The team sought to celebrate its homecoming during a ceremony hosted by radio broadcaster Andy Freed, who overcame a brief glitch with his microphone and continued, appropriately, “After everything, we’re all here again.”

The fans made their presence felt during the pregame introductions, with particularly raucous cheers for the top-of-the-lineup stars -- Yandy Díaz, Aranda and Caminero -- and none louder than the ovation for McClanahan.

“It was just great to feel the fans and have them here,” Aranda said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “With everything that the stadium went through, obviously, it's just a great feeling. Just to hear the roar and to have them here and have their support and have their love, it makes things great for us.”

After both teams lined up on the field, the Rays played a video featuring the damage done by Hurricane Milton and the extensive repair efforts, finishing with the following words on screen: “Resilience isn’t a solo act. Healing takes an entire community.”

As the national anthem was performed by country music star Eric Church, the Rays recognized several members of that community. In center field, a giant American flag was unfurled by dozens of roof workers, first responders and Rays staff who played a part in making Monday’s game a reality.

“Because of these people,” Freed said, “we are home.”

For the most part, the Trop looks the same. But not exactly the same.

The ballpark feels brighter under the new roof. The Rays’ retired numbers have moved to the upper-deck seats in the left-field corner, with room for Evan Longoria’s No. 3 to join them soon. The right-field video board has been expanded to three full screens, one of the new ownership group’s many upgrades.

There’s new signage nearly everywhere, and the banners hanging above left field -- including a newly consolidated one containing all the club’s AL Wild Card berths -- have a different design.

The home clubhouse has been upgraded, with new carpeting and lockers and a bigger weight room, but it’s still a familiar space. So much so that shortstop Taylor Walls joked that their sojourn to George M. Steinbrenner Field last season “felt like a really long road trip.”

“It feels like home,” starter Drew Rasmussen said.

And as the sun set over St. Pete on Monday night, the Trop’s roof once again emitted a familiar orange glow.

“I feel like 10 years old. It's amazing,” Caminero said, smiling. “It's amazing to come back to Tropicana Field.”