On This Day

Baseball awards a franchise to Tampa Bay Devil Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division.

The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based in Florida, alongside the National League (NL)’s Miami Marlins. The team plays its home games at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Following nearly three decades of unsuccessfully trying to gain an expansion franchise or enticing existing teams to relocate to the Tampa Bay area, an ownership group led by Vince Naimoli was approved on March 9, 1995.

Historical Significance

The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area.

Events Before

  1. Aleksandr Popov swims a world record 100m freestyle of 47.83 seconds

    Aleksandr Popov swims a world record 100m freestyle of 47.83 seconds

  2. Kathleen Kinmont files for divorce from Lorenzo Lamas

    Lorenzo Fernando Lamas is an American actor and producer. He is widely known for his role of Lance Cumson, the irresponsible grandson of Angela Channing—played by Jane Wyman—in the soap opera Falcon...

  3. Kapil Dev takes 2/41 as India beats Sri Lanka by an innings and 95 runs in 2nd Cricket Test in Bengaluru; equals Sir Ric

    Kapil Dev takes 2/41 as India beats Sri Lanka by an innings and 95 runs in 2nd Cricket Test in Bengaluru; equals Sir Richard Hadlee's world record of 431 Test wickets

  4. The Church of England ordains its first 32 female priests at the Bristol Cathedral in Bristol, England [1]

    On 12 March 1994, 32 women were ordained as Church of England priests for the first time in history.

  5. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. divorces Emily Black

    Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., also known by his initials RFK Jr., is an American politician, environmental lawyer, author, conspiracy theorist, and anti-vaccine activist serving as the 26th United...

Events After

  1. After 27 years, Betty Rubble debuts as a Flintstone chewable vitamin character

    After 27 years, Betty Rubble debuts as a Flintstone chewable vitamin character

  2. Princess of Rock Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from King of Pop Michael Jackson in NYC

    Princess of Rock Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from King of Pop Michael Jackson in NYC

  3. "ER" TV actress Yvette Freeman (39) weds musical director Lawny Hartley (49) in Dunleith, Delaware

    "ER" TV actress Yvette Freeman (39) weds musical director Lawny Hartley (49) in Dunleith, Delaware

  4. The 6,138th performance of "Cats" is held in London, surpassing the record of Broadway's longest-running musical, "A Cho

    The 6,138th performance of "Cats" is held in London, surpassing the record of Broadway's longest-running musical, "A Chorus Line"

  5. Death Row/Interscope Records releases rapper Tupac Shakur's fourth studio album "All Eyez on Me," his final release duri

    Death Row/Interscope Records releases rapper Tupac Shakur's fourth studio album "All Eyez on Me," his final release during his lifetime

More from the 1990s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 9, 1995?
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based in Florida, alongside the National League (NL)’s Miami Marlins.
Why is Baseball awards a franchise to Tampa Bay Devil Rays significant?
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area.

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