Simply 19,704 followers have been at Tropicana Subject to observe the Tampa Bay Rays fall to the Texas Rangers 4-0 in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series. Right here’s what it’s essential to know:
- The final time a postseason recreation drew so few followers (in a non-COVID 12 months) was Recreation 7 of the 1919 World Sequence, a best-of-nine collection involving the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds. That collection is notorious for the betting scandal that led to the lifetime bans of eight members of the White Sox (together with pitcher Eddie Cicotte, who tossed a complete-game victory that afternoon at Redland Subject).
- Tuesday’s recreation started at 3 p.m. ET, and people who got here didn’t get a great present from the house group. Tampa Bay performed sloppily in its sixth straight postseason loss, recording 4 errors and managing only one extra-base hit regardless of an all-right-handed lineup in opposition to Texas lefty Jordan Montgomery. Rays starter Tyler Glasnow labored into the sixth inning, strolling 5 and permitting a run-scoring wild pitch.
- Recreation 2 will probably be performed in St. Petersburg on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET. With yet another loss, the Rays’ season will finish earlier than the divisional spherical for the second 12 months in a row.
How Tuesday’s recreation in comparison with different Rays’ video games this 12 months
The Rays had 31 regular-season crowds bigger than Tuesday’s, but it surely was, not less than, a much bigger crowd than ordinary. The Rays averaged 17,781 followers per recreation this season, their highest common attendance (in a season not impacted by Covid) since 2014. They ranked twenty seventh amongst baseball’s 30 groups in attendance this season, forward of the Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins and Oakland A’s. — Kepner
Learn extra: As Rays are swept off the field, their empty seats hint at a much bigger problem
Tampa Bay’s ongoing crowd struggles
That is the Rays’ ninth postseason look within the final 16 seasons, but the group has all the time struggled to attract followers to its ballpark, which has the one roof in MLB that doesn’t retract. Even so, it’s a unusual, enjoyable place to observe a recreation — precise rays swim in a tank above the middle subject wall — however its location in St. Petersburg makes it a chore for a lot of followers on the Tampa aspect of the Bay to attend a recreation. The group hopes to construct a brand new ballpark, however it will even be situated in St. Petersburg. — Kepner
What occurred in 1919?
In response to the Society for American Baseball Analysis (SABR), Recreation 7 of the 1919 World Sequence drew solely 13,923 followers as a result of the Reds required followers to purchase tickets in three-game blocks, and Recreation 7 was their fourth house recreation of the collection. Together with a miscommunication concerning the person ticket gross sales for Recreation 7, there have been additionally lengthy strains on the Reds’ ticket workplace that turned away the crowds.
What they’re saying
“The (followers) that have been there made it fairly loud, I really feel like,” Rays shortstop Taylor Walls mentioned. “It’s all the time good when the seats are full, however on the similar time, the people who did come confirmed up and confirmed out. Hopefully tomorrow we are able to pack it in a little bit bit extra and the ambiance will probably be what it was at this time or a little bit bit higher.”
Required studying
- 2023 MLB futures odds: Braves, Dodgers top favorites to win World Series ahead of start of playoffs
- MLB playoffs start today. Here’s what you need to know
(Picture: Mike Carlson / MLB Pictures through Getty Pictures)
Get all-access to unique tales.
Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth protection of your favourite gamers, groups, leagues and golf equipment. Strive every week on us.
