[Times photo: Michael Rondou]
Some of the 25,157 who came out to watch the Devil Rays beat the Marlins brought messages with them.
ST. PETERSBURG - How do you get a few more people out to the old ballyard?
How about winning?
Fresh from a road trip, the red-hot Tampa Bay Devil Rays returned home Friday to more than 25,000 fans at Tropicana Field.
And the Rays didn't disappoint.
They pulled off 2-0 victory over the Florida Marlins, the defending World Series champions.
"It's overdue, but I always knew," said a jubilant Sarah Hogan, 67, of St. Petersburg, one of 7,162 "walkup" fans who stood in line to get a ticket.
With the victory, the Devil Rays have won 14 of the their past 15 games. It's also the latest in the season they have reached the .500 mark, 35-35.
That means for the rest of the current homestand most tickets to upper deck seats will cost 500 pennies, or $5.
It was an exciting night.
For starters, pitcher Dewon Brazelton came up with a sparkling performance, going 72/3 innings without giving up a single hit. Fans were beginning to count the number of outs to a no-hitter.
A double in the top of the eighth ended those hopes, but the popular Rocco Baldelli took over. He singled home a run in the sixth.
For Steve Bradley, a retiree from St. Petersburg, it was his first game of the year.
