On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays honored principal owner Stuart Sternberg, putting a stamp on Sternberg’s 22 years in his position before the club’s second to last home game of the 2025 season.
“The Tampa Bay Rays honored Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg with a special tribute on Sept. 20 at George M. Steinbrenner Field, celebrating his 22 seasons of leadership, vision and lasting impact on the organization and the Tampa Bay community,” the Rays wrote in a press release.
“At the end of the first inning, a video tribute highlighted memorable moments and milestones from Sternberg’s career with the team.”
The gesture comes as Sternberg’s role in principle ownership enters its final days after striking a deal to sell the team for $1.7 billion to a group led by Patrick Zalupski, a Florida-based homebuilder.
Part of the honors included a tribute video, narrated by longtime play-by-play commentator Dewayne Staats.
“Stu, thank you for the last 20 years,” Staats said. “For thinking outside the box and creating a lifetime of memories at the ballpark for an entire generation of fans. For building a culture that fosters growth in not only careers, but people.”
“For your devotion to not only your team, but to your community. For teaching us to believe the unbelievable. That against all odds, we can accomplish anything together.”
Despite missing the postseason in consecutive years, the Rays posted the third-best winning percentage in Major League Baseball under Sternberg while reaching the postseason nine times, capturing four American League East division titles and being crowned American League champions twice.
After the video, Rays manager Kevin Cash tipped his hat from the dugout as players and staff followed up with salutes. Staff members wore hats designed with broken window details on one side and an image of Los Angeles Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax on the other, honoring Sternberg’s “break some windows; don’t burn down the house,” and Koufax, who sparked Sternberg’s love of baseball.
“The stuff on the scoreboard started, and I was just looking at it; I started tearing up from that,” Sternberg told the Tampa Bay Times. “I was like, ‘Damn, I was a little younger. Hair was certainly dark.’ And I didn’t think I’d aged that much from then.”
“It’s an amazing thing to be able to have people feel that way about you, it really is.”