Tampa Bay Devil Rays name history
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
The Tampa Bay Rays debuted as the Devil Rays in 1998 and shortened the name after 2007.
The 2008 renaming coincided with the franchise's first winning season and division title.
Background
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise that began play in 1998 as the Devil Rays. The Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area had spent more than a quarter-century trying to attract a team before the club debuted, and the area built what is now Tropicana Field eight years before the first game. After 10 straight losing seasons under the Devil Rays name, the club shortened it to the Rays following the 2007 season, with the new branding referring both to manta rays and to Florida sunshine.
How it unfolded
- 1990The Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area built Tropicana Field — then the Florida Suncoast Dome and later the ThunderDome — eight years before the Rays played their first game.
- 1998The team debuted as the Devil Rays; future Hall of Famer and Florida native Wade Boggs hit the franchise's first homer.
- 1998 -2007As the Devil Rays, the club had a losing record in each of its first 10 seasons, reaching 70 wins only once and avoiding last place in the AL East only once.
- After the 2007 seasonThe club shortened its name to the Rays, with the new branding referring not only to manta rays but also to Florida sunshine.
- 2008As the Rays, the team had its first winning season at 97-65 and won its first division title.
Who’s saying what
- Support
- A Reddit r/uniwatch poster said the Devil Ray uniforms are gaining popularity and should be worn full time, but the team should keep its current name.
- Public
- A Facebook helmetaddict post argued the Devil Rays is a better name and the uniforms are better, with no reason the team should have stopped using it.