As it turns out, no one was keeping score at at home.
Saturday night, everyone was at the ballpark.
As an area, Tampa Bay gets beaten up a lot. But three games on Saturday night drew a total of 44,437 fans which, as things go, wasn’t a terrible night at the turnstiles.
The Rays, surprisingly, won the night with 19,772 fans, their fourth-largest crowd of the year behind Opening Night and two games against the Yankees. The team won its’ fourth straight game, which might have had something to do with the turnout. The Rays pulled into first place with the win.
The Lightning might have sold more tickets that that, but the building holds only 19,204. Still, who is going to complain about a sellout?
The Tampa Bay Rowdies drew 5,461 fans to its victory over Jacksonville despite both of the other games being on television.
No, the Bucs didn’t play. But with the No. 1 draft pick this week, its crowds could be on the upswing as well.
As usual, attendance in Tampa Bay is an ongoing story. The Rays are in their fourth season of finishing last, and the Bucs haven’t drawn as well in their streak of non-playoff seasons. The Lightning generally sells out its games.
