Rays' Ryan Pepiot Thrilled to Return to Tropicana Field After Trade The Tampa Bay Rays are excited to return to Tropicana Field for the 2024 season after playing their games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2023. Among the players eager to be back at the team’s home stadium is right-hander Ryan Pepiot, who has grown particularly fond of the dome. After spending much of last season pitching in sweltering early-afternoon games at Steinbrenner Field, Pepiot is looking forward to the cooler, more consistent conditions at Tropicana Field, where the temperature remains around 72 degrees regardless of the time of day. “I’ll tell you what, I cannot wait for air conditioning and my mound,” Pepiot said, smiling. “I love the Trop. I know some people don’t like it. I love it. It’s fantastic.” Pepiot’s enthusiasm for the Rays’ home ballpark reflects his broader embrace of the Tampa Bay area, a city he had no prior connection to before joining the team. Acquired in a December 2023 trade with the Dodgers for Tyler Glasnow, Pepiot had only visited the region during high school spring break and attended a game at Tropicana Field. Raised in Indiana and attending college at Butler, he had spent his career in Los Angeles and winters in Arizona, closer to the Dodgers’ Spring Training complex. The trade forced Pepiot and his wife, Lilia, to decide whether to relocate. Initially, they considered maintaining three residences but planned to rent in St. Petersburg while keeping their Arizona home. However, after spending just two days in the city, Lilia convinced them to move. Pepiot and his family settled into a condo near the waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg, which has become their year-round home. The location offers a view of Tropicana Field and a sense of daily “vacation,” as Pepiot described.#rays #ryan_pepito #tropicana_field #st_petes #tampa_bay
