ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays are in Milwaukee for the start of the World Series, but you don't have to fly to Wisconsin to watch Game 1 with a crowd.
First pitch against the Brewers is 8 p.m. tonight, Friday, Oct. 23, on FOX. The game also airs on FOX Deportes and streams on FOX One, ABC Action News reported. Game 2 is Saturday at the same time.
Both teams are chasing the first championship in franchise history. Milwaukee finished 103-59, the best record in the National League, and the Rays went 98-64. The Rays are going with Nick Martinez in Game 1 instead of Drew Rasmussen, who gets an extra day of rest to start Game 2. Milwaukee counters with Jacob Misiorowski, who led the majors this season with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts.
The watch party at the Trop
The Rays are opening Tropicana Field for watch parties for Games 1 and 2, and again for Games 6 and 7 if the series gets that far, 10 Tampa Bay reported. Here's how it works:
- When: Gates open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. first pitch.
- Tickets: Buy them online through the Rays ahead of time. A $35 upgrade gets you into the Rays Hall of Fame Bar & Grill with all-you-can-eat food. A $60 upgrade gets you 162 Landing with a buffet plus soda, seltzer, beer and wine.
- Parking: $5 in Lots 6 and 7, and you can prepay online. Enter through Gate 1.
- Inside: The game plays on the videoboard in the seating bowl, with in-game host Nate Kurant emceeing, giveaways and autographed prizes. Fans can play catch on the field, take photos, visit the visitors' dugout, and shop the team store. The Cownose Clubhouse is open until first pitch.
Block parties on Central Avenue
Before first pitch, the city of St. Petersburg is hosting block parties tonight and Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. on Central Avenue between 13th and 15th streets, 10 Tampa Bay reported. That stretch will be closed to traffic, so plan around it if you're just driving through.
The city is giving away limited-edition commemorative Rays posters at the block parties both nights, and at The GreenHouse from noon to 4 p.m. today. The St. Pete Pier will be lit in Rays colors, and the city is asking businesses and residential buildings to light up in blue and yellow too.
Nearby bars are bracing for it. “Just for the games alone, we've been selling out all of our beer kegs. All of them,” a server and bartender at Bodega told 10 Tampa Bay. The owner of Pizza Box said the restaurant ordered extra beer and staffed up, calling late October “our slowest time of year” for local restaurants.
Next week: the World Series comes to the Trop
The series shifts to St. Petersburg for Game 3 on Monday, Oct. 26, and Game 4 on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Game 5, if needed, is Wednesday, Oct. 28. All three start at 8 p.m. TBO has the full series schedule and ticket details.
St. Pete police expect more than 40,000 people around the stadium on home game nights and say street parking near the Trop will be scarce. “Just always have a plan when you come down because you're not going to be able to park on a side street like you're used to,” Yolanda Fernandez of the St. Petersburg Police Department told ABC Action News. Police suggest parking farther out and taking a bus or tram in, or getting dropped off.
One more thing: FOX 13 forecasters expect a windy weekend around the bay, so bring a layer if you're heading out to the block parties.