ST. PETERSBURG -- There were World Series preparations to make, tickets to distribute, television crews to accommodate and a refurbished Tropicana Field to dress as baseball’s biggest stage. The Rays had plenty to do this past week.
But when the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers called with an unusual request involving quarterback Baker Mayfield’s right thumb, the organization found time to lend a hand -- or, more accurately, a glove.
Wearing a receiver’s glove modified by Rays home clubhouse attendant Tyler Wall, Mayfield threw for a second-quarter touchdown in the Bucs’ 43-13 win over Carolina on Sunday. The glove supported Mayfield’s dislocated thumb, allowing him to get back under center after missing the previous three weeks.
“They’ve done an incredible job helping me out to get where I’m at,” Mayfield said earlier this week.
Such is the friendly relationship between the sports teams of “Champa Bay,” a region that has celebrated championship parades for the Bucs and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning in recent years.
The Rays have yet to hoist a trophy aboard a boat in the Hillsborough River or on the St. Petersburg waterfront, but even as the World Series shifts venues with Tampa Bay trailing the Brewers two games to none, there is still time.
“It's going to be a great story -- coming back and being able to play these next few games to get some momentum back,” said Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca.
Tropicana Field is set to host its first World Series game since 2008 on Monday evening, with the 2020 Fall Classic having been played in Arlington, Texas. But the region is no stranger to high-profile events involving its local teams.
The Bucs defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in 2021, while the Lightning hosted numerous Stanley Cup home games in both 2021 and ’22, including a home-ice clincher in Game 5 of the 2021 Final.
“The past 10 years have been incredible,” said Rays shortstop Taylor Walls. “Every team that’s there, they feel like they figure out ways to win right now. The community there has been awesome towards us, towards every one of those teams.
“To come back and have that fan base, that entire area -- the state of Florida, really -- behind you, you can just feel they want it as bad as you do.”
Those events were wild atmospheres for fans and players alike, and the Rays expect this week to deliver similar memories.
“We’ve got to earn our way into Champa Bay,” said Rays CEO Ken Babby. “We’re proud to work alongside several sports organizations in our community who have set a standard of excellence. We want to continue to earn our place alongside them.”
Babby includes the Yankees, the University of South Florida and various universities and colleges in that group, describing the relationship as “a lot like leaning on your neighbors.”
“Just a year ago, the Rays were playing their home games at Steinbrenner Field,” he said. “It was the Yankees who stood up to make that a possibility for us. They didn’t have to do that.”
The relationship goes beyond helping a quarterback return to the field or providing a temporary home after hurricane damage destroyed the Trop’s roof in 2024.
Walls said that he and his teammates go to Bucs and Lightning games as often as they can, and it’s a reciprocal arrangement. It should be no surprise to spot familiar faces in the crowd on Monday.
“Anytime there’s an opportunity where we’re not playing and they are, we’re always there in some capacity,” Walls said. “The support system between all of us is pretty close.”
Several Rays have emphasized the importance of packing Tropicana Field throughout the rest of the Fall Classic, believing a raucous atmosphere can provide a home-field advantage.
“We love it there, and we love our fan support,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Our fan support has been second to none in this postseason run. It was loud [in Milwaukee]. I think that we can get just as loud, if not louder, at our ballpark.”
In the years ahead, the quirky catwalks will be gone, but fan support could become an even greater asset. The Rays are eyeing a sparkling new $2.3 billion, 31,000-seat domed ballpark on the current Hillsborough Community College grounds in Tampa, Fla., scheduled to open in April 2029.
Whatever happens from here, the Rays are already part of a Tampa Bay sports community that knows how to celebrate championships. Now they want to give the boats a reason to sail again.
“I know our group is ready to get back there,” Cash said. “We’d love to do everything we can to … really give our fans something to yell about.”