The Tampa Bay Rays are a professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's (MLB) American League (AL). Since their inaugural season in 1998, the Rays have played their home games at Tropicana Field. The team was originally known as the "Tampa Bay Devil Rays", which was inspired by a common nickname of the manta ray, but after the 2007 season, they shortened their official name to the "Tampa Bay Rays."
Tampa Bay made their Major League debut in 1998, where they were an expansion team. For their first ten seasons, Tampa Bay struggled, never had a winning record, and always finished fifth in the American League Eastern Division, except for a fourth-place finish in the 2004 season. Since 2008 however, the Rays have advanced to the postseason nine times and have played in the World Series twice, in 2008 and 2020. In 2021 the Rays achieved a 100-win regular season for the first time.
Table Key American League Division SeriesAmerican League Championship SeriesMost Valuable Player AwardCy Young AwardRookie of the Year AwardManager of the Year AwardComeback Player of the Year AwardWorld Series Most Valuable Player Award
Regular season results World Series champions †AL champions *Division champions ^Wild card berth ¤
SeasonLevelLeagueDivisionFinishWinsLossesWin%GBPostseasonAwardsManagerTampa Bay Devil Rays1998MLBALEast5th6399.38951Larry Rothschild1999MLBALEast5th6993.426292000MLBALEast5th6992.429182001MLBALEast5th62100.38334Larry Rothschild (4–10)Hal McRae (58–90)2002MLBALEast5th55106.34248Hal McRae2003MLBALEast5th6399.38938Lou Piniella2004MLBALEast4th7091.43530½2005MLBALEast5th6795.414282006MLBALEast5th61101.37736Joe Maddon2007MLBALEast5th6696.40730Carlos Peña (CB POY)Tampa Bay Rays2008MLBAL *East ^1st9765.599–Won ALDS (White Sox) 3–1 Won ALCS (Red Sox) 4–3Lost World Series (Phillies) 4–1 *Evan Longoria (ROY)Joe Maddon (MOY)Joe Maddon2009MLBALEast3rd8478.51919 2010MLBALEast ^1st9666.593–Lost ALDS (Rangers) 3–22011MLBALEast2nd ¤9171.5626 Lost ALDS (Rangers) 3–1Jeremy Hellickson (ROY)Joe Maddon (MOY)2012MLBALEast3rd9072.5565David Price (CYA)Fernando Rodney (CB POY)2013MLBALEast2nd ¤9271.5645½Won ALWC (Indians)Lost ALDS (Red Sox) 3–1Wil Myers (ROY)2014MLBALEast4th7785.475192015MLBALEast4th8082.49413Kevin Cash2016MLBALEast5th6894.420252017MLBALEast3rd8082.494132018MLBALEast3rd9072.55618Blake Snell (CYA)2019MLBALEast2nd ¤9666.5937Won ALWC (Athletics)Lost ALDS (Astros) 3–22020MLBAL *East ^1st4020.667– Won ALWC (Blue Jays) 2–0Won ALDS (Yankees) 3–2 Won ALCS (Astros) 4–3 Lost World Series (Dodgers) 4–2 *Kevin Cash (MOY)2021MLBALEast ^1st10062.617–Lost ALDS (Red Sox) 3–1Randy Arozarena (ROY)Kevin Cash (MOY)2022MLBALEast3rd ¤8676.53113Lost ALWC (Guardians) 2–02023MLBALEast2nd ¤9963.6112Lost ALWC (Rangers) 2–02024MLBALEast4th8082.494142025MLBALEast4th7785.475172026MLBALEast ^1st9864.605– TBD ALDS (Yankees)TotalsWinsLossesWin%2,2662,328All-time regular season record (1998–2026)2836All-time postseason record2,2942,364All-time regular and postseason record
Record by decade The following table describes the Rays' MLB win–loss record by decade.
Decade Wins Losses Pct 1990s 132 192 .407 2000s 694 923 .429 2010s 860 761 .531 2020s 580 452 .562All-time 2,2662,328 These statistics are from Baseball-Reference.com's Tampa Bay Rays History & Encyclopedia, and are current through the regular season.
Postseason appearances YearWild Card Game/SeriesLDSLCSWorld Series2008colspan=2 (Won AL East)Chicago White SoxBoston Red SoxPhiladelphia Phillies2010colspan=2 (Won AL East)Texas Rangers2011colspan=2 (Won AL Wild Card)Texas Rangers2013colspan=2 Boston Red Sox2019colspan=2 Houston Astros2020Toronto Blue JaysNew York YankeesHouston AstrosLos Angeles Dodgers2021colspan=2 (Won AL East)Boston Red Sox2022Cleveland Guardians2023Texas Rangers
Post-season record by year The Rays have made the postseason ten times in their history, with their first being in 2008 and the most recent being in 2026. YearFinishRoundOpponentResultAmerican League ChampionsALDSChicago White SoxWon31ALCSBoston Red SoxWon43World SeriesPhiladelphia PhilliesLost14AL East ChampionsALDSTexas RangersLost23AL Wild CardALDSTexas RangersLost13AL Wild Card ChampionsALWCCleveland IndiansWon10ALDSBoston Red SoxLost13AL Wild Card ChampionsALWCOakland AthleticsWon10ALDSHouston AstrosLost23American League ChampionsALWCToronto Blue JaysWon20ALDSNew York YankeesWon32ALCSHouston AstrosWon43World SeriesLos Angeles DodgersLost24AL East ChampionsALDSBoston Red SoxLost13AL Wild CardALWCCleveland GuardiansLost02AL Wild CardALWCTexas RangersLost02AL East ChampionsALDSTBD9Totals7–92836
See also Tampa Bay Rays team records List of Tampa Bay Rays Opening Day starting pitchers
References
External links Rays Year-By-Year Results at MLB.com Rays Postseason Results at MLB.com