The Tampa Bay Rays clinched a playoff berth Tuesday night in front of 17,891 fans — less than half of their stadium's capacity. That, however, was more than 5,000 more than they had on Monday night, when they also could have potentially clinched. The team is hoping to far exceed both of those numbers during Wednesday's home finale by giving away 20,000 free tickets.
Following Monday's game, David Price and Evan Longoria expressed their frustration with the lack of fan support. Their words didn't fall on deaf ears.
"It was something that we had discussed, but I don’t think we would have," team president Matt Silverman said, according to MLB.com. "It’s not about the two players, it’s about the sentiment expressed by the team throughout the year, the energy they get from the fans when this place is full. Two years ago when we clinched against Minnesota, the players celebrated with the fans. It was a packed house. It’s that type of celebration of this season we’re looking for."
Rays pitcher James Shields was excited about the decision.
"I think it's a good gesture to the fans, and hopefully they can fill those 20,000 seats," Shields told the Tampa Tribune.
"We completely understand the economy," Shields continued. "We're not asking everyone to come to every single game. It is what it is. We understand that. We understand the whole thing, and we're not meaning anything bad by it. It's just, we have a month and a week, hopefully, left of baseball, and we'd appreciate it if they'd come out and support us. I mean, this is a big time not only in the Rays' organization, but the city, the town. This is a big moment."
Silverman also dispelled rumors that Longoria and Price had purchased the tickets to be given away themselves.
