History of the Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays became a major league franchise team in 1995 and they began playing in the American League on March 31, 1998. In 2008, after 10 years in major league baseball, they won the American League pennant, under the leadership of their manager, Joe Maddon. They had their best regular season in 2021, when they had 100 wins and 62 losses.
1998-1999
The Rays were known as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1998 through 2007. They started playing at Tropicana Field in their first season. Their manager from 1998 through 2001 was Larry Rothschild.
In 1998, future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was part of the Rays' regular roster. But even with Boggs, the Rays ended the season with 99 losses. The next year, Jose Canseco was added to the line-up. The Rays again had a losing season (69 wins to 93 losses) and Boggs retired after the season ended.
2000-2009
The Rays continued to have losing seasons from 2000 through 2007. Their worst season was 2002, when they had 55 wins and 106 losses. In 2003, Lou Piniella was hired as their manager, but even he could not turn the Rays into a winning team. They did, however, improve and at the end of the 2004 season, their record was 70-91 and they were in fourth place in the American League East instead of in last place.
With a record of 67-95 in 2005 and the second worst ERA in the American League, Piniella asked to be released from his contract. Joe Maddon was hired as the new manager and young players, including Jorge Cantu, Scott Kazmir and B.J. Upton, were added to the roster. The changes didn't help and the Rays ended the 2006 season with the worst record, 61 wins to 101 losses, in major league baseball that year. The same fate awaited the Rays the next year.
Determined to change the Rays' fortunes in 2008, the team's major owner, Stuart Sternberg, began by dropping the "Devil" from the team's original name. A few roster changes were made, including adding third baseman Evan Longoria to the line-up. The new name and Longoria seemed to be the magic the Tampa Bay Rays needed. They ended the 2008 season in first place in the American League East with a record of 97-65. They went on to defeat the Chicago White Sox in the American League division playoffs and then the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship series. They then faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, but the Rays were no match for the National League team with its strong pitching and starting line-up.
The Rays had four managers from 2000 through 2009. They started with Larry Rothschild, but he was replaced in 2001 by Hal McRae. Lou Piniella managed the team from 2003 through 2005. Joe Maddon, who won the AL Manager of the Year award in 2008, managed the Rays from 2006 through 2014.
In addition to Longoria improving the Rays' lineup, outfielder Carl Crawford was added in 2002 and he played with the team through 2010. Second baseman Ben Zobrist strengthened the Rays' infield defense from 2006 through 2014. Starting pitcher and Cy Young winner David Price was added to the roster in 2008, and he continued to pitch for the Rays through 2014.
2010-2019
The Rays had winning seasons from 2010 through 2013, but then they had a period of losing seasons until 2018, when they again had more wins than losses. Their losing seasons began a year before Joe Maddon left the team to manage the Cubs. Kevin Cash took over as manager in 2015.
In 2010, the Rays had 96 wins and 66 losses. They went to the postseason but they lost the ALDS to the Texas Rangers. The next year, they won the Wild Card spot, with 91 wins and 71 losses, but they again lost the ALDS to the Rangers. Maddon, however, was named manager of the Year for the second time in 2011.
Although the Rays won 90 games in 2012, they ended up in third place in the AL East. The following year, they had 92 wins and 71 losses and their earned a Wild Card spot. They won the Wild Card game over the Cleveland Indians but they once more lost the ALDS, this time to the Red Sox.
In 2014, the Rays started a losing trend, winning just 77 games and losing 85. The following season, Cash's first as manager, was slightly better with 80 wins and 82 losses. They ended up in last place in the AL East in 2016 with just 68 wins and 94 losses. In 2017, they fared better, finishing in third place in the AL East with 80 wins to 82 losses.
The Rays finally had a winning season in 2018, finishing with 90 wins and 72 losses. Although they played well, the AL East division had a very strong Red Sox team and a Yankees team that earned a Wild Card spot. That left the Rays again in third place in the AL East and out of the postseason.
The Rays finished the 2019 season in second place in the AL East division. They had 96 wins and 66 losses. They won a wild card spot and defeated the Athletics in the wild card game. They lost the ALDS to the Astros in five games.
2020-2025
The Rays played well in the shortened 2020 season, finishing in first place in the AL East division. They had 40 wins and 20 losses. Kevin Cash was named the AL Manager of the Year for his success with the team during the regular season. Their success continued in the postseason, winning the ALWC series over Toronto (2-0), the ALDS over the Yankees (3-2), and the ALCS over the Astros (4-3). They played the Dodgers in the World Series and they won two games but lost four.
Kevin Cash again won the AL Manager of the Year award in 2021. He led the Rays to the most wins ever for the team, with 100 wins and 62 losses and a first place finish in the AL East division. However, they didn't play well in the postseason and they lost the ALDS to the Red Sox with one win and three losses. Randy Arozarena was named the AL Rookie of the Year in 2021.
The Rays finished in third place in the AL East division in 2022. However, their 86 wins and 76 losses was enough to earn them a wild card spot. They lost the ALWC series in two games to the Guardians.
The Rays again made it to the playoffs in 2023. They finished in second place with their second highest win total of 99 (to 63 losses). Once again, they lost the ALWC series in two games, this time to the Rangers. The Rays best hitter in 2023 was Yandy Diaz. He led the American League in batting average with .330 and he led the Rays in hits with 173.
The Rays finished in fourth place in the AL East division in 2024. They had a losing season, with 80 wins and 82 losses.
The Rays again finished in fourth place in the AL East division in 2025. This time they had 77 wins and 85 losses.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Tampa Bay Rays
Baseball Reference - Tampa Bay Rays