Tampa Bay Rays: Impending hurricane forcing contingency plans

The Tampa Bay Rays may be forced to find another location for their series against the Baltimore Orioles due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Dorian.

For all of the disdain that Tropicana Field receives, it does have its advantages. The home of the Tampa Bay Rays is a dome after all, allowing the Rays to play even in the heat and humidity of the Florida summer, or during one of the frequent rainstorms in the area. The Rays do not need to worry about the weather – the game will proceed as planned.

Except…the Rays have to be concerned with the weather in the coming week. Hurricane Dorian is expected to make landfall on Florida sometime early next week. At the same time, the Rays are scheduled to play the Orioles at home, weather permitting. Given the possibility of the hurricane, the Rays are exploring other options, just in case.

It is expected that Hurricane Dorian will strengthen to become a Category 4 storm, with wind speeds of over 140 MPH when it hits Florida. It would be the first storm of that intensity to hit the state since Hurricane Andrew back in 1992.

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The problem is that no one is quite sure where the hurricane will land. Projected storm paths have the storm landing virtually everywhere on Florida’s eastern coast, making preparation difficult. Obviously, that expected landfall will be narrowed down in the coming days, giving people time to prepare.

Those preparations need to be made by the Rays as well. While the storm could veer in a different direction and spare the Tampa Bay area from the brunt of its strength, the logistics of a change of venue need to be determined ahead of time.

These arrangements do not only affect the Rays. The Orioles also need to determine their plans, whether they are going to Tampa Bay, staying in Baltimore, or heading to a third location to play at a neutral site.

In the grand scheme of things, this series is not important. People’s lives, livelihoods, and everything they have worked for could all be gone in an instant. And yet, baseball can still matter, as it can bring a sense of normality to people who have had their lives uprooted and turned upside down.

Usually, the forecast does not matter when the Tampa Bay Rays are at home. However, with the impending landfall of Hurricane Dorian, even the Rays need to make contingency plans.