ST. PETERSBURG — Tropicana Field is rarely filled to its capacity.
But on Sunday, 31,042 baseball fans packed the stands for Opening Day as the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Toronto Blue Jays in the season opener for both teams. Hometown fans left disappointed as the Rays lost 5-3.
It was the Rays’ 11th consecutive sold-out home opener, a point of pride for the organization.
And yet, the Rays also bring a major-league worst average for attendance per game — a streak four years running.
In 2015, the Rays averaged 15,403 fans per game, the worst for the franchise since 2005 and only sold out two games.