Citrus Series
Encyclopedia
The Citrus Series is the name given to the interleague
series between the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays
in Major League Baseball
. The Marlins broke into the league in as the Florida Marlins, while the Rays had their first season in as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The first meeting between the two teams took place on June 22, 1998 at Tropicana Field
in St. Petersburg
, Florida
during the Rays' inaugural season. Beginning with the season, when the Marlins are the home team, games will be played at Miami Ballpark. From to , the games were played at Sun Life Stadium (as it is currently named), though it has been known by several names in its existence.
Currently, because the Marlins play in the National League
, and the Rays in the American League
, the only possible postseason matchup the teams can have is in the World Series
, though this has never happened as the two teams have yet to appear in the same postseason. Both teams have had appearances in the Fall Classic, however. The Marlins have won both of their World Series appearances in 1997
and 2003
, while the Rays have lost their only appearance in 2008
.
Rays manager Joe Maddon
said he does not consider the Citrus Series a true rivalry. "I really don't honestly believe the fans see it as being a rivalry, I really don't. The best way to get that done is to include us in the same league or the same division. That might stir something up."
Interleague play
Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...
series between the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. The Marlins broke into the league in as the Florida Marlins, while the Rays had their first season in as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The first meeting between the two teams took place on June 22, 1998 at Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field is a domed stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, which has been the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays since the team's inaugural season in 1998, when they were the Devil Rays. It has also served as the host stadium for the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, an NCAA-sanctioned college...
in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
during the Rays' inaugural season. Beginning with the season, when the Marlins are the home team, games will be played at Miami Ballpark. From to , the games were played at Sun Life Stadium (as it is currently named), though it has been known by several names in its existence.
Currently, because the Marlins play in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
, and the Rays in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, the only possible postseason matchup the teams can have is in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, though this has never happened as the two teams have yet to appear in the same postseason. Both teams have had appearances in the Fall Classic, however. The Marlins have won both of their World Series appearances in 1997
1997 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...
and 2003
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...
, while the Rays have lost their only appearance in 2008
2008 World Series
The 2008 World Series was the 104th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as champions of the National League and the Tampa Bay Rays, as American League champions, competed to win four games out of a possible...
.
Rays manager Joe Maddon
Joe Maddon
Joseph John Maddon is the Major League Baseball manager for the Tampa Bay Rays.He previously served as interim manager of the Anaheim Angels in both 1996 and 1999. He was also a long-time bench coach for the team.-Early life and career:Maddon attended Lafayette College, where he played baseball...
said he does not consider the Citrus Series a true rivalry. "I really don't honestly believe the fans see it as being a rivalry, I really don't. The best way to get that done is to include us in the same league or the same division. That might stir something up."
Series year-by-year results
| Year | Series Winner | Marlins W | Rays W | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 1998 Major League Baseball season *American League Championship Series MVP: David Wells**American League Division Series:*National League Championship Series MVP: Sterling Hitchcock**National League Division Series*All-Star Game, July 7 at Coors Field: American League, 13-8; Roberto Alomar, MVP... |
Marlins 1998 Florida Marlins season The 1998 Florida Marlins season started off with the team trying to repeat as World Series Champions, a title they won from 1997. Their manager was Jim Leyland. They played home games at Pro Player Stadium. They finished with a record of 54-108, 5 in the NL East... |
3 | 1 | Devil Rays' inaugural season, 4-game home-and-away format |
| 1999 1999 Major League Baseball season The previous record of most home runs hit in a season, set at 5,064 in 1998, was broken once again as the American League and National League combined to hit 5,528 home runs. Moreover, it was the first season in 61 years to feature a team that scored 1,000 runs in a season, as the Cleveland Indians... |
Marlins 1999 Florida Marlins season The Florida Marlins' 1999 season started off with the team trying to improve on their season from 1998. Their manager was John Boles. They played home games at Pro Player Stadium... |
5 | 1 | First year of 6-game home-and-away format |
| 2000 2000 Major League Baseball season The 2000 Major League Baseball season ended with the New York Yankees defeating the New York Mets in Game 5 of the World Series, known as the Subway Series because fans could take the Subway to and from every game of the Series. An all-time record 5,693 home runs were hit during the regular season... |
Tie | 3 | 3 | |
| 2001 2001 Major League Baseball season The Major League Baseball season finished with the Arizona Diamondbacks defeating the New York Yankees in a Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. The attacks of September 11 pushed the end of the regular-season from September 30 to October 7. Because of that, the World Series was not completed until... |
Marlins 2001 Florida Marlins season The 2001 Florida Marlins season started off with the team trying to improve on their season from 2000. Their managers were John Boles and Tony Perez. They played home games at Pro Player Stadium... |
4 | 2 | |
| 2002 2002 Major League Baseball season The Major League Baseball season finished with the Anaheim Angels defeating the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.-Major league baseball final standings:... |
Devil Rays 2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season The 2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was their 5th since the franchise was created. This season, they finished last in the AL East division, and managed to finish the season with a record of 55-106... |
2 | 4 | |
| 2003 2003 Major League Baseball season *World Series MVP: Josh Beckett**American League Championship Series MVP: Mariano Rivera**National League Championship Series MVP: Iván Rodríguez*All-Star Game, July 15 at U.S... |
Marlins 2003 Florida Marlins season The 2003 Florida Marlins season was a season in American baseball. The Marlins were the National League Wild Card Winners, the National League Champions, and the World Series Champions.-Offseason:... |
3 | 0 | Played at Pro Player Stadium, Marlins would go on to win their 2nd World Series 2003 World Series The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:... |
| 2004 2004 Major League Baseball season * Playoff MVPs** Manny Ramírez ** David Ortiz ** Albert Pujols * All-Star Game, July 13 at Minute Maid Park: American League, 9-4; Alfonso Soriano, MVP-References:* *... |
Devil Rays 2004 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season The 2004 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was their 7th since the franchise was created. This season, they finished fourth in the AL East division, and managed to finish the season with a record of 70-91, finishing out of last for the first time ever... |
2 | 4 | |
| 2005 2005 Major League Baseball season Click on any series score to link to that series' page.Higher seed had home field advantage during Division Series and League Championship Series.The American League champion had home field advantage during the World Series as a result of the AL victory in the 2005 All-Star... |
Marlins 2005 Florida Marlins season The Florida Marlins' 2005 season started off with the team trying to improve on their season from 2004. Their manager was Jack McKeon. They played home games at Dolphin Stadium... |
6 | 0 | Pro Player Stadium is renamed to Dolphins Stadium |
| 2006 2006 Major League Baseball season In , the Major League Baseball season ended with the National League's St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series with the lowest regular season victory total in history. The American League continued its domination at the All-Star Game by winning its fourth straight game; the A.L. has won nine... |
Devil Rays 2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season The 2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was their ninth since the franchise was created. This season, they finished last in the AL East division, and managed to finish the season with a league-worst record of 61-101... |
2 | 4 | |
| 2007 2007 Major League Baseball season The 2007 Major League Baseball season, began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1... |
Marlins 2007 Florida Marlins season The Florida Marlins' 2007 season began with the team with the league's lowest payroll trying to improve on their promising 78-84 record in 2006... |
4 | 2 | |
| 2008 2008 Major League Baseball season The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the... |
Rays 2008 Tampa Bay Rays season The Tampa Bay Rays' 2008 season, the 11th season in franchise history, marked the change of the team's name from the "Tampa Bay Devil Rays" to the "Tampa Bay Rays", as revealed on November 8, 2007. The change in name also came with a change in logo and uniforms, with new team colors of Columbia... |
1 | 5 | The Devil Rays change their name to Rays, make their first World Series 2008 World Series The 2008 World Series was the 104th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as champions of the National League and the Tampa Bay Rays, as American League champions, competed to win four games out of a possible... |
| 2009 2009 Major League Baseball season The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on Sunday, April 5, 2009 with the Atlanta Braves defeating the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies 4–1. The regular season ended on October 6, extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins to... |
Rays 2009 Tampa Bay Rays season The Tampa Bay Rays' 2009 season was their 12th season of baseball on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The team attempted to defend their American League Championship they won in the previous season. Although they missed the playoffs, they still finished with a winning record – only the second in... |
1 | 5 | Dolphin Stadium is renamed to Land Shark Stadium late in the season. |
| 2010 2010 Major League Baseball season The 2010 Major League Baseball season began Sunday, April 4, when the Boston Red Sox defeated their long-time rivals, the 2009 World Series champion New York Yankees at Fenway Park, 9–7; the regular season ended on October 3. The 2010 All-Star Game was played on July 13 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim... |
Marlins 2010 Florida Marlins season The Florida Marlins' 2010 season was the 18th season for the Major League Baseball franchise. The Marlins played their home games at Sun Life Stadium. On 23 June 2010, Fredi González was fired as manager and replaced with Edwin Rodríguez... |
4 | 2 | Land Shark Stadium is renamed to Sun Life Stadium |
| 2011 2011 Major League Baseball season The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28. This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since , and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since... |
Rays 2011 Tampa Bay Rays season The Tampa Bay Rays 2011 season was the team's 14th season of baseball. Despite starting the season 0-6 and trailing the Boston Red Sox by 9 games as late in the season as September 1, the Rays captured the AL Wild Card and made consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history... |
2 | 4 | Marlins last season at Sun Life Stadium |
| Overall | Marlins (7–6–1) | 42 | 37 |