Tampa Bay Devil Rays History |
| Officially welcomed to Major League Baseball on March 9, 1995, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the big leagues with the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 1998 season. The Devil Rays sign a 30-year lease to play in the Saint Petersburg Thunderdome. By October 3, 1996, the Thunderdome becomes Tropicana Field, named after Tropicana Dole Beverages North America. On January 16, 1997 Major League Baseball owners voted to insert the Devil Rays into the American League by a vote of 28-2. The Devil Rays opened their season on March 31, 1998 with a 11-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers. However by their 17th game, the Rays posted a 10-6 record becoming the first expansion franchise ever to be four games above .500 in their inaugural season. The season overall however proved to be typical of first-year clubs at 63-99. Thus far the 69-92 mark set by the 2000 club is the best mark set by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. World Series Appearances:
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| Rank |
Player |
Statistic |
Batting Average |
1 |
Aubrey Huff |
.295 |
2 |
Fred McGriff |
.291 |
3 |
Wade Boggs |
.289 |
Homeruns |
1 |
Fred McGriff |
99 |
2 |
Aubrey Huff |
99 |
3 |
Greg Vaughn |
60 |
RBI's |
1 |
Fred McGriff |
359 |
2 |
Aubrey Huff |
334 |
3 |
John Flaherty |
196 |
Hits |
| 1 |
Aubrey Huff |
662 |
2 |
Fred McGriff |
603 |
3 |
Randy Winn |
513 |
Stolen Bases |
| 1 |
Carl Crawford |
127 |
2 |
Randy Winn |
80 |
3 |
Miguel Cairo |
69 |
Wins |
1 |
Victor Zambrano |
35 |
2 |
Albie Lopez/Esteban Yan |
26 |
3 |
Ryan Rupe |
23 |
Earned Run Average |
1 |
Roberto Hernandez |
3.43 |
2 |
Rick White |
3.81 |
3 |
Rolando Arrojo |
4.23 |
Strikeouts |
| 1 |
Victor Zambrano |
372 |
2 |
Esteban Yan |
351 |
3 |
Ryan Rupe |
348 |
Saves |
1 |
Roberto Hernandez |
101 |
2 |
Esteban Yan |
42 |
3 |
Danys Baez |
30 |
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Tampa Bay Devil Rays Retired Numbers |
Number |
Player |
12 |
Wade Boggs |
42 |
Jackie Robinson |
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Protracted negotiations with their last four No. 1s precluded the players from making their pro debuts the years they were drafted. |
That includes 6'9" gasmas-ter righty Jeff Niemann from Rice, last year's fourth overall pick who had yet to come to terms as of late January. If and when he's brought into the fold, he'll be hustled through the system for a likely 2006 big league bow.
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Carl Crawford is on!y 23, but he's one of the rare players who can change a game with his bat, glove or wheels. Only nine players have ever paired 20 home runs with 50 stolen bases — names such as Henderson, Morgan, Brock, Sandberg and Bonds among them — but Crawford is a decent bet to be the 10th. That could come as soon as this season.
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