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The Tampa Bay Rays recorded a historically low attendance for their postseason opener against the Texas Rangers. Less than 20,000 fans were on hand to watch the home team get shutout in Tropicana Field.
It was reportedly the smallest crowd to take in a playoff game in over a century.
The Rays have never been known to fill up a stadium. This year, despite finishing the regular season with 99 wins, the franchise ranked 27th in the MLB in average attendance with a mark around 17,800.
They barely outpaced that number on Tuesday for the team’s first playoff contest.
A reported 19,704 fans were on hand to watch the midweek action, filling less than 80% of Tropicana’s 25,000-seat capacity.
Now, there were certainly some things working against fans for this matchup, most notably a 3 PM start on a Tuesday. Still, the attendance for this crucial Rays matchup was said to be the worst playoff turnout since 1919.
Here’s some perspective on today’s attendance of 19,704 at the Trop: according to @Stathead, it’s the lowest (non-Covid year) attendance for a postseason game in 104 years. Last one below 19,704 was Game 7 of the infamous 1919 World Series in Cincinnati.
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) October 3, 2023
Again, for a team that won the second-most games in the American League.
The fans that stayed home didn’t necessarily miss much. The Rays were shut out by the Rangers, 4-0, taking them one step closer to season’s end.
In the contest, the Tampa offense was blanked by starter Jordan Montgomery. The lefty tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing six hits and striking out five batters.
Texas was able to plate a run in the second, a run in the fifth, and two more in the sixth to pull away. Corey Seager led the way with a 2-4 day at the plate, recording a run and an RBI.
Game 2 in the three-game set will take place on Wednesday featuring a starting pitching matchup between Nathan Eovaldi and Zach Elfin. We’ll see if Rays fans can boost those attendance numbers for another 3 PM first pitch.
One more loss will effectively end the season.