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Hurricane Milton Destroys Roof of Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field

The Category 3 storm had maximum sustained winds of 120 MPH as it made landfall near Siesta Key around 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday night.

Tim Capurso

A general view of Tropicana Field as opening week logo lays on the turf prior to opening day between the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros in March of 2019.
A general view of Tropicana Field as opening week logo lays on the turf prior to opening day between the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros in March of 2019. / Kim Klement-Imagn Images
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Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, Fla., a city about 70 miles south of Tampa. As the storm made its way through Tampa after hitting the coast with 100-plus MPH winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge, it destroyed the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark, Tropicana Field. Multiple videos surfaced on social media showing the fabric of the roof shredded from the sustained winds of the storm.

First responders were staging with cots inside the ballpark for storm recovery. There were no reported injuries as a result of the roof's destruction, according to Jason Adams of ABC Action News.

Originally named the Florida Suncoast Dome when it opened to the public on March 3, 1990, the park was renamed Tropicana Field in ’96, where it has been home to the Rays, an MLB franchise that began play in ‘98. Since then, Tropicana Field has also been home to hockey, basketball, football, sprint car racing, gymnastics, soccer, tennis, weight lifting, table tennis, karate, motorcycle racing, equestrian events, track and figure skating, a testament to the facility's versatility.

Officials in multiple counties across the state of Florida urged residents to evacuate ahead of the storm. Tornadoes touched down in multiple areas before Milton made landfall, resulting in the destruction of homes and the deaths of some residents on Florida's Atlantic Coast. As of Wednesday night, Hurricane Milton has left nearly two million residents without power.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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