The last time the Tampa Bay Rays hosted a World Series game, cowbells rang out through Tropicana Field as David Price put the finishing touches on a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

That was back on Oct. 23, 2008, and it would be the Rays' last win of a magical season. Tampa returned to the Fall Classic in 2020, but because of the COVID pandemic, the Trop did not get to host any games.

So this is the first time since that wonderful night 18 years ago that baseball's biggest stage comes to one of its oddest venues. And it very nearly didn't even get that chance after a hurricane tore the unique roof right off of the building just two years ago. One year and $60 million of reconstruction later, though, the Trop opens its doors for Game 3 of the 2026 World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Gone are the days of those ubiquitous cowbells, which gained popularity among the fanbase after the video board played a famous "Saturday Night Live" sketch during a game in 2006. But fans watching from home will notice plenty of bizarre things about the next three games.

A few questions will be sure to dominate the conversation. Why does the roof look like that? What happens if a ball gets stuck up there? And wait, is there seriously a tank of stingrays out behind the outfield?

Let's address those questions, starting with a seemingly obvious one:

Where is Rays stadium located?

The Rays do not play in Tampa ... yet ... anymore. We'll get into it. Tropicana Field is set across Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, about a 20-mile drive southwest across the Howard Frankland Bridge from Steinbrenner Field and Raymond James Stadium.

When was Tropicana Field built?

The Trop opened in 1990 as the Florida Suncoast Dome, then became the Thunderdome when the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning moved in for the 1993 season. The stadium became Tropicana Field in 1996, and the naming rights have remained with the orange juice company headquartered in nearby Bradenton ever since.

It's been the Rays' home since they entered the league as the Devil Rays in 1998. It also hosted the 1999 men's Final Four, as well as Arena Football, Davis Cup tennis and WWE events.

Tropicana Field roof ripped off by hurricane

The semi-translucent roof of Tropicana Field has been its most distinct feature since the stadium opened. The dome is made of 24 Teflon-coated fiberglass panels that meet in the center. The original pieces from 1990 remained in place until Oct. 9, 2024.

That night, Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds reported near 85 mph and gusts as high as 106. Video and photos circulating on social media captured the sections of the stadium roof being torn off as the winds ripped through the area. The damage went beyond just the roof, causing a reported $60 million in damages and leaving the Trop unplayable in the 2025 season.

The panels were replaced and the stadium repaired in time for the 2026 season after the Rays spent last year at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, where the Yankees play their spring training games.

Why is Tropicana Field roof slanted?

If looking at the Trop roof feels weird, it's because the roof is tilted at a 6.5-degree angle, dipping from 225 feet above second base to just 85 feet over the centerfield wall. That's not a result of the hurricane: It's an engineering maneuver to keep the stadium cooler in the Florida heat and as a preventative measure against wind damage. Well, at least it worked for 35 years.

What happens if a ball hits the roof at Tropicana Field?

That exact scenario actually isn't likely, though Miguel Sano did scrape the ceiling in 2016. The ball was caught back in the field of play for an out, which is a good thing because there isn't anything in the Tropicana Field ground rules laying out what should happen in that case.

What's more likely to come into play are the rings of catwalks supporting the roof. There are four rings to contend with. Here's what happens should a ball find its way up there like it did in the NLCS in Milwaukee:

• Batted balls that get stuck in a catwalk is a ground-rule double.

• Battled balls that strike a catwalk in foul territory is a dead ball and can't be caught for an out.

What is Tropicana Field capacity?

The Trop can hold up to 25,025 since its most recent renovations in 2019, but those numbers account for a perpetually closed upper deck. For the ALDS against the Yankees, more than 40,000 people packed the dome in both games played in St. Pete, same for the pennant-clinching ALCS Game 6 vs. Cleveland.

The Rays have been much maligned for their attendance numbers over the years. They averaged about 17,500 fans per game in 2026, third-lowest in MLB. Those numbers are on par with most of the team's history; Tampa has ranked in the bottom three in average attendance in all but one season since 2012. And that one year (2023), they were fourth to last.

Does Tropicana Field still have a stingray tank?

Yes! A host of cownose rays swim in the 35-foot, 10,000-gallon Rays Touch Tank behind the wall in right-center field. They're there in a partnership with the Florida Aquarium (as yes, they did all ride out Hurricane Milton safely). The tank will migrate with the team when they open their new stadium in Tampa, planned to open in 2029.

Tropicana Field dimensions: Why is the wall so short?

Left field at the Trop sits 315 feet from home plate out to 404 feet in dead center and 322 feet in right. The wall's heigh in right stands 11 feet high with the center portion dipping to 9 feet, then rising back to 11 feet in left-center until it hits the leftfield corner and plummets to an abruptly miniscule 5 feet high.

That fence was cut out to allow Rays legend Carl Crawford to rob home runs out there between 2002 and 2010. It also set the stage for one of the team's most famous moments: Evan Longoria's game-winning home run on the final day of the 2011 season to put the Rays into the playoffs.