How the 2023 Tampa Bay Rays Have Already Made History

5/26/2023

Charlie Coyle '24

As the spring begins, baseball season comes along with it, as on March 30, the New York Yankees defeated the San Francisco Giants to kick off the season. Along with the first few weeks of the season, teams start to assert themselves with either a favorable or disappointing record, and even though each team has over 130 games left to play, it's still exciting for baseball fans to keep track of. One of these notable teams over the first weeks has been the Tampa Bay Rays, who have already made history in under three short weeks.

As a franchise, the Rays have not had much to cheer about. Of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt, as the Rays are tied for the youngest franchise in the league, but across their 24 year history, they have posted a record of 1926-2036 and have not won a World Series yet. Over the past few years, though, they have posted solid lineups, one of which was their 2020 team that made it all the way to the World Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. This year, it seems to be no different, as the Rays have posted an impressive 20-3 record through April 24. Of course, this is a phenomenal record to begin the year, but more importantly, the Rays opened the season with a 13 game win streak. This, in fact, is now tied for the longest winning streak to begin an MLB season, only matching the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and 1992 Atlanta Braves. Both these teams that the Rays tied won over 90 games in their respective seasons, with the Braves team losing in the World Series that year. The fact that the Rays, out of all teams, are making this type of history makes it more special.

The Rays have had financial issues ever since their creation, to say the least. They have arguably one of the worst stadiums in the MLB, as Tropicana Field, their home stadium, is constantly dirty and always seems to have leakage issues. Most importantly, though, they play in St. Petersburg, which is about a 45 minute drive from Tampa Bay, their namesake and nearest big city. What this means is that for most Rays fans actually in Tampa Bay, their drive is difficult, therefore drawing less fans. This ultimately affects the team's success because the lack of attendance lowers the team income, giving them less money to spend on major free agent signings. For reference, the Rays made their largest free agency signing in franchise history this past offseason by signing pitcher Zach Eflin to a three-year, $40 million contract, but the New York Yankees already have seven players on their active roster who are making more annual money. This makes their success all the more impressive, as through the years, the Rays have not been able to keep the superstars they have drafted and have not been able to sign any new ones through free agency.

As the season continues, the Rays hope to have more success, as they are in a loaded AL East division. But, no matter how the season ends, they have had a memorable start to the season, despite the circumstances of their franchise.