The Rays’ season comes down to nine innings Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. Milwaukee blew Game 3 open with an eight-run fifth inning and won 10-1, putting the Brewers one victory from their first World Series title and pushing Tampa Bay into a three-games-to-none hole that nobody in baseball history has climbed out of. A win in Game 4 at 8 p.m. keeps the series alive. A loss sends the Brewers home with a championship earned on Suncoast soil.
Win or lose, the series has been a windfall for the region. Visit St. Pete Clearwater’s Brian Loak says each World Series game delivers an estimated $10 million to $12 million into the local economy, with Tampa International Airport seeing roughly 80,000 travelers a day ahead of Game 3 compared to 20,000 on a typical day. Hotels that often sit half-full just before snowbird season are booked solid.
Visiting Brewers fans are part of that surge. One family told reporters that an Airbnb plus all three games in St. Pete cost less than a single game back in Milwaukee, and they brought the kids along for the trip. With the Rays needing wins Tuesday and Wednesday just to force a Game 6 in Wisconsin, every game from here is both a last stand and a payday for the Suncoast.
Will you be at the Trop Tuesday night, or watching from home? Tell us how you’re feeling about this team.
