"I'll save you a little bit" Tampa Bay makes temporary home game at Yankees spring camp stadium
"I'll save you a little bit" Tampa Bay makes temporary home game at Yankees spring camp stadium
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The Tampa Bay Rays will live in the same district competition team facility in the 2025 season.
The Rays announced in a press release on the 15th (Korea Standard Time) that they will use George M. Steinbrenner Field as their temporary home stadium in the 2025 season.
George M. Steinbrennerfield is a spring camp facility for the New York Yankees. It opened in 1996 and underwent one remodeling from 2016 to 2017.
A total of 11,000 spectators can enter. It is a big one among the exhibition games in Florida.
Its location is actually better than Tropicana Field, its home stadium. It is located right next to Tampa International Airport and close to the regional capital Tampa.
The Rays explained why they chose the stadium in a press release, saying it was "the best-prepared facility in Tampa Bay."
It has already begun remodeling to play regular Major League season games. Construction is underway to expand lighting facilities, home team locker rooms, and training and rehabilitation facilities.
Rays owner Stuart Sternberg thanked the Yankees for allowing him to use the facility, saying, "Just as the two hurricanes - Helena and Milton - made many families and businesses in our region adapt to new conditions, the damage done by the hurricane has forced us to take measures differently than before. We will bounce back and rebuild."
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said, "We are pleased to be able to reach out to the Rays and their fans to use major league-quality facilities. The Yankees and our family have deep roots in the Tampa Bay area and know how meaningful it is for the Rays, their employees and fans to play their home games in the 2025 season within 30 minutes of Tropicana Field. I put off competition and rivalry in these difficult times for a while, and I thought we should do the right thing for the community, helping families and businesses affected by the hurricane to get back on their feet."
The spring camp uses Charlotte Sports Park in Fort Charlotte as it was. The Yankees also use George M. Steinbrennerfield as their home during spring camp.
Tropicana Field suffered damage to most of its roof in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which hit the Tampa area in October.
Concerns were once raised that the stadium could not be used again, but it was diagnosed that the basic steel structure was not damaged and could be used again after repair. Re-entry is possible in 2026.
According to a report released by the city government of St. Petersburg, the owner of the stadium, the cost of repairing the stadium was $55.7 million (about 78.4 billion won). 메이저놀이터