The Tampa Bay Rays have long faced attendance challenges, often attributed to their stadium. However, it’s significant news when a Major League Baseball team draws fewer than 6,000 fans, especially without any extraordinary circumstances to justify it.
As reported by Deadspin, the Tampa Bay Rays disclosed an attendance of just 5,786 during their 3-1 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. This attendance figure marked a new all-time low for the team in its 22-year history, surpassing the previous record of 6,509 set in 2017.
The prior record low occurred during hurricane Irma’s threat, coinciding with a massive evacuation in Florida.
Surprisingly, the scant attendance cannot be attributed to the team’s performance. Following their win on Tuesday, the Rays closed in to within one game of the top spot in the AL East Division. Despite their strong position, there were many vacant seats in the stadium. Rays reliever Ryne Stanek, who pitched two innings as the game’s starter, noted, “I definitely noticed it.”
