The Tampa Bay Rays have announced that they will return to Tropicana Field on Friday, when they begin a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox. This comes after a three-game series that began on Monday was relocated because of Hurricane Irma.
With Hurricane Irma affecting much of Florida, including the Tampa Bay region, the Rays’ three-game home series against the New York Yankees was moved to the New York Mets’ Citi Field. Earlier this week, club officials expressed their hope that the upcoming slate against the Red Sox could be played at Tropicana Field as scheduled, but cautioned that a final decision was still to be made.
On Wednesday, the Rays confirmed that they will play the series against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field. This comes after the Rays consulted with officials in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County. More from The Tampa Bay Times:
Through Tropicana Field didn’t sustain any major damage from Hurricane Irma, the Rays were waiting for the okay to play from St. Petersburg and Pinellas County officials, specifically tied to power outages that left traffic lights near the staidum inoperable.
“Tropicana Field is in good shape, and staff are busy making sure it is ready for Friday,” Rays president Brian Auld said. “Our biggest concern was not overburdening the remarkable first responders who have been working around the clock to get Tampa Bay up and running. Now that we have the go-ahead from them, we are encouraged to be getting things back to normal.”
The Rays’ first game back at Tropicana Field will be played on Friday night, followed by contests on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Following an off day on Monday, the team will welcome the Chicago Cubs to Tropicana Field for a two-game series.
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