Tropicana Field, the longtime home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, suffered extreme damage to its domed roof on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton moved through the region.
In video footage captured by various social media users and local news broadcasts, the interior of the dome can be seen from surrounding areas. Tatters of the dome’s fabric, meanwhile, can be seen fluttering in the wind.
Here are a few such images, including from former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Dave Moore:
And here’s another, from Rays television broadcast sideline reporter Ryan Bass:
Tropicana Field, MLB’s only stadium with a fixed roof, was supposed to play a pivotal role in the region’s Hurricane Milton recovery effort by serving as a base camp for “thousands of emergency responders,” according to USA Today. The local ABC affiliate has reported there were no injuries at the stadium despite the roof damage.
The Trop, as it’s known colloquially, is located in St. Petersburg — not Tampa — and has served as the home of the Rays since they began play in 1998. In addition to serving as the Rays’ base, Tropicana Field has hosted several other notable events — college football bowl games and amateur baseball showcase events among them. The National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning and the Arena Football League’s (defunct) Tampa Bay Storm also played at the Trop for various periods of time.
Back in July, Pinellas County commissioners approved public funding toward a new Rays ballpark.
Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday evening around Siesta Key, a little over 90 minutes away from the Trop, as a Category 3 storm. In the hours since, the storm has spawned numerous tornadoes and has left nearly 2 million residents without electricity, according to CBS News. Heavy flooding was expected along the coast. St. Petersburg has received more than 16 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, or more than seven times higher than the historical average rainfall for the entire month of October.
