From Maryland to the Trop: Falling for the Rays in 2006

By Esteban A. Encina
Baltimore, MD

I am a Tampa Bay Rays fan in my home state of Maryland. My brother lives in the Tampa Bay, Florida area.

I remember my first time seeing a then-Devil Rays game at the Trop back in the summer of 2006. It was only my second time going to Florida to visit my brother, and I had never seen indoor baseball live before. I had seen indoor soccer live with my hometown Baltimore Blast, and I had seen many baseball games in Maryland and elsewhere. I had seen local Minor League baseball games as well as Nationals and Orioles games live, but when I stepped into the Trop for the first time, it was incredible.

The sounds of the cowbells ringing in the Dome, the atmosphere, and the support were unbelievable. After that experience, the Rays became my fifth favorite team in MLB, even after my brother moved back home to Maryland from 2012 to 2018 before moving back to Florida in 2018-2019. I still followed and supported the Rays in that timeframe—all next to my home state Minor League Baseball teams and the Nationals and Orioles in MLB, of course.