ST. PETERSBURG — The World Series is finally at Tropicana Field, and the Rays need it to be.
Tampa Bay trails the Milwaukee Brewers two games to none after a 5-4 loss Saturday night in Milwaukee. The Rays jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but the Brewers came back, and Tampa Bay left the tying run at third base in the ninth, FOX 13 reported.
Game 3 is tonight, Monday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. on FOX. Game 4 is Tuesday at 8 p.m., and Game 5, if it's needed, is Wednesday at 8 p.m., all at the Trop. Another loss tonight would put Milwaukee one win away from its first championship. Either way, someone wins a first title: neither franchise has ever won the World Series.
These are the first World Series games in St. Petersburg since 2008. The Rays also reached the World Series in 2020, but that series was played in Texas.
Get there early
Gates open three hours before first pitch, so 5 p.m. tonight. St. Petersburg police expect about 40,000 people inside each sold-out game and another 15,000 to 20,000 gathering elsewhere in the city. Police Chief Anthony Holloway has said the biggest problem won't be the crowd inside. It'll be the traffic.
“Our biggest issue is going to be traffic,” Holloway said Friday, WFLA reported.
Parking and the free shuttle
- Stadium lots are prepaid only. You can't buy parking at the gate, so buy it through the Rays ahead of time if you want to park on site.
- It isn't cheap. Holloway said parking around the stadium has averaged about $150 for World Series games, while downtown spaces can go for as little as $25.
- The city's free baseball shuttle runs from downtown to the ballpark. One stop is on 2nd Street South between Central Avenue and 1st Avenue South, and riders are dropped on the west side of the Trop on 16th Street.
- The SunRunner stops on the north side of Tropicana Field, and PSTA is adding buses on game nights.
- Rideshare riders should settle a pickup spot with their driver before the game ends and follow officers' directions afterward.
Leaving will take a while. Holloway said pedestrians get the right of way when the stadium empties, so the closer you park to the Trop, the longer you may wait to drive out.
What you can bring in
Tropicana Field has a clear-bag policy, and there's nowhere to store a bag that doesn't comply. Backpacks, camera bags, luggage and other non-clear bags aren't allowed, with exceptions for medical bags and small diaper bags when you're with a baby or toddler, according to FOX 13's guide to the Trop. Outside food and drinks aren't allowed either, except one sealed bottle of water of 20 ounces or less per ticketed fan. Tailgating is allowed in the stadium lots once they open.
The security plan
More than 100 St. Petersburg police officers are working each game, some in uniform and some undercover, alongside state and federal partners, FOX 13 reported. Drones will watch car and foot traffic around the stadium, and K-9 teams will sweep the building before games. An emergency operations center is running out of police headquarters.
“If you want to do something wrong, you may not see us, but a drone's going to see you,” Holloway said.
And if they come back?
Both sides of the bay are already planning for a win. St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said the city's parade could follow the St. Pete Pride route along the downtown waterfront, and Tampa is working on a boat parade like the ones it threw for the Bucs and Lightning, the Tampa Bay Beacons reported.
That's getting ahead of things. The Rays need to win tonight first. If the series goes six or seven games, it heads back to Milwaukee, with a Game 7 on Halloween.