Since the team’s inception in 1998, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have held Spring Training at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida. Located on the waterfront at 180 2nd Avenue SE in downtown St. Petersburg, Al Lang Stadium was rebuilt in 1976 and has a total seating capacity of 7,227. Here is a guide to Spring Training in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Pitchers and catchers report on February 16; position players report on February 21. The first full workout will be held on February 22. Practices are held from nine a.m. until two p.m. at The Raymond A. Naimoli Baseball Complex, located at 7901 30th Avenue North in St. Petersburg. Minor Leaguers also practice at the Naimoli Complex.
Tickets for the Devil Rays’ Spring Training home games may be purchased at the Ticket Office of their regular season ballpark, Tropicana Field, located at One Tropicana Drive in St. Petersburg. Tickets are also sold at Progress Energy Park at Al Lang Field. Or you may call TicketMaster at 727-898-RAYS.
Ticket prices are as follows: $20 for Field Box seats, $17 for Loge Box seats, $15 for Grandstand, and $7 for General Admission.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ team hotel is the St. Petersburg Bayfront Hilton, located at 333 1st Street South in St. Petersburg. Other popular hotels in St. Petersburg include: the Don Cesar Beach Resort on Gulf Boulevard; the Presidential Inn on 2nd Avenue South; the Bond Hotel on 4th Street North; the Tradewinds Resort on Gulf Boulevard; the Best Western Mirage on 34th Street North; and the Beach Park Motel on Beach Drive NE.
Local eateries in St. Petersburg include: Harvey’s, Pepin Restaurant, and Ringside Café, each on 4th Street. Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill is located on Central Avenue, and the Hurricane Seafood Restaurant is located on Gulf Way Boulevard.
The Tampa Devil Rays open their Spring Training schedule at home against the New York Yankees on Friday, March 2. The Toronto Blue Jays come to town on Friday, March 4, followed by the Minnesota Twins, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Cleveland Indians. The Devil Rays will host the Philadelphia Phillies on March 10 and 13, the Houston Astros on March 11, and the American League Champion Detroit Tigers on March 12. The Boston Red Sox will visit St. Petersburg on Saturday, March 24, and the New York Mets will face the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, March 31.
Tropicana Field, which opened in 1990, was Tampa Bay’s lure to catch a Major League Baseball team. Both the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants came close to moving to Tampa Bay, before Major League Baseball finally expanded and granted Tampa Bay a team. This dome stadium with Astroturf and dirt has a seating capacity of 45,000. Be sure to pay it a visit before or after Spring Training.
Enjoy the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2007 Spring Training in St. Petersburg, Florida!
