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Tampa Bay Rays

The Official Site of the Tampa Bay Rays
MLB.com

Facts and Figures

Tropicana Field Gate 1
Tropicana Field • One Tropicana Drive • St. Petersburg, FL 33705 • 888-326-7297

Originally named the Florida Suncoast Dome and then the ThunderDome, Tropicana Field's 1.1 million square feet include unique design features and fan amenities found nowhere else in the Major Leagues.

    Cownose Rays
    Tropicana Field is the world's only professional sports facility that features live cownose rays. The Rays Tank presented by VisitStPeteClearwater.com opened in 2006, and is located just behind the right center field wall. Through a unique partnership with the Florida Aquarium, there are over 30 rays that fans can touch and feed throughout the game. The 10,000 gallon tank is one of the ten-largest in the United States. If a player hits a home run into the tank, then the organization will donate $5,000 to charity - $2,500 to the Florida Aquarium and $2,500 to the player's charity of choice.

    All-dirt basepaths
    Tropicana Field is the only Major League park to feature an artificial surface and all-dirt base paths. It features natural-looking FieldTurf. All of the other parks that currently feature an artificial surface have only dirt cutouts around the bases and at the pitcher's mound. Only four other artificial turf ballparks have ever featured all-dirt base paths: Houston's Astrodome (1966-1971); San Francisco's Candlestick Park in 1971; Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium in the early '70s; and, most recently, St. Louis' Busch Stadium (1970-1976). Chicago's Comiskey Park had all-dirt base paths with an artificial turf infield and grass outfield in the early 1970s. The Rays installed a new FieldTurf in 2007.

    Video Boards
    In 2007, the Rays added four new video boards to Tropicana Field. The main video board in right field is 35 feet high and 64 feet wide, making it more than four times larger than the previous board. This ProStar video board from Daktronics will provide video content, highlight pitching matchups, and show pitch speeds, pitch counts, and other detailed statistical information. There will also be two 10 by 50-foot strip boards below the main board which will have batter and pitcher statistics. In addition, the Rays will unveil a new video board above the Batter's Eye Restaurant in center field. This board will have an in-game box score and will provide statistical information in a baseball card style format. The Rays will also continue to use a matrix board in left field which has out-of-town scores and crowd-pumping images.

    Interactive Areas
    Tropicana Field is home to a number of interactive areas for kids of all ages. In the Left Field Street area, fans can participate in a baseball-themed game show, take their picture on a Topps baseball card, have their name inscribed onto a Louisville Slugger bat, touch and feel real game-used equipment, and broadcast play-by-play of baseball highlights. Left Field Street also features the Mountain Dew Extreme Zone where fans can play stickball in a unique area that is designed to resemble a New York street alley. Fans can also enjoy the latest modern baseball video games, or they can play old school video games from Nintendo and Atari.

    Right Field Street
    In 2007, Right Field Street was renovated to include numerous activities for younger baseball fans. Kids can experience the magic of baseball in the Rays Baseball Carnival, a real working carnival that includes plinko, spin the wheel, ring-a-bat and skee ball. In addition, fans can take their swings against computer images of real Major League pitchers in a batting cage or test their arms in the speed pitch, both found in the T.G. Lee Rookie Challenge area of the Carnival. Right Field Street also features popular kids-themed areas such as "Bats, Balls, and Brushes", "St. Petersburg Times Pressbox" and "The Science of Baseball."

Tropicana Field

Center Field Street
Center Field Street features the Cuesta-Rey Bar, as well as the Batter's Eye Restaurant, located, appropriately, in the "batter's eye" in center field. The specially tinted windows of the restaurant make up a 130-foot-wide hitting background, yet still allow patrons of the restaurant to watch the game. Also found on Center Field Street is the Center Field Street Brewhouse, The Captain Morgan Deck, the Rays Team Store, and the MLB Alumni Office.

Hitters Hall-of-Fame
The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall-of-Fame moved to Tropicana Field in 2006 and is also located in Center Field Street. Fans can view an array of different artifacts and pictures of the "Greatest hitter that ever lived." These memorable displays range from Ted Williams' days in the military through his professional playing career. This museum is dedicated to some of the greatest players to ever "lace 'em up," including Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Sadaharu Oh.

Radio Shows
The pre and postgame radio shows for all home broadcasts originates from the Center Field Street Brew House.

Avantair Home Plate Club
Seats behind the backstop are some of the closest in the Major Leagues - only 50 feet from home plate.

Picnic Area
The Checkers Bullpen Cafe, located directly behind the Rays' bullpen in the right field corner and offers picnic-style seating.

The Rotunda
Ebbets Field was an influence for Tropicana Field. The ballpark's grand, eight-story-high rotunda entrance is designed from the very blueprints used for the rotunda at Ebbets Field, built in 1913.

Ceramic Mural
Fans can enter the rotunda by following a 900-foot, tropical-theme ceramic mosaic walkway. The walk is the largest outdoor ceramic mural in Florida and one of the five largest in the United States. Made with 1,849,091 brightly colored 1x1 inch tiles, it depicts the sun, sea and beach.

The Roof
Tropicana Field features the world's second-largest cable-supported domed roof (Georgia Dome is the largest). It's made of six acres of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass and it virtually supports itself with 180 miles of cables connected by struts. Opposing forces of tension and compression keep the roof in an arc. Tropicana Field's roof is slanted at a 6.5-degree angle, dropping from 225 feet above second base to 85 feet at the center field wall. The slanted roof reduced the overall construction costs and decreased the volume of air under the dome by 16.8 million cubic feet. Accordingly, that reduced the amount of air that requires climate control treatment. It is built to withstand wind of up to 115 miles per hour. The roof of the dome is lit orange after the Rays win at home, symbolic of the ballpark's title sponsor, Tropicana Dole Beverages.

The Catwalks
There are four catwalks located above the playing surface at Tropicana Field. They are labeled the "A", "B", "C" and "D" rings with the lowest ring the "D" ring. The "D" ring ranges from 59 feet above the playing surface in CF to 121 feet behind home plate. The "C" ring ranges from 99 feet in CF to 146 behind home plate. The "B" ring ranges from 142 feet in CF to 173 feet behind home plate. And, the "A" ring ranges from 181 feet in CF to 194 feet behind home plate. If a ball strikes the A or the B ring in fair territory, the ball is in play. If a ball strikes the C or the D ring in fair territory it is a home run.

Dimensions
Left field315 ft.
Left-center370 ft.
Left-center410 ft.
Center field404 ft.
Right-center404 ft.
Right-center370 ft.
Right-field line322 ft.