Rays draw smallest crowd at Tropicana Field in 8 years

The Tampa Bay Rays might be playing in an empty stadium if the Lightning keep winning hockey games.

Thursday's announced attendance of 8,701 was the smallest crowd to ever watch a game in the Rays era and attracted the fewest fans at Tropicana Field since 8,440 people saw the Devil Rays play the Seattle Mariners on May 23, 2007. The franchise changed its team name prior to the 2008 season.

The Rays lost Thursday's series opener to the Texas Rangers, 5-4, in a game that also saw the end of Evan Longoria's MLB-best consecutive games streak. Longoria, who was scratched due to flu-like symptoms, had started an active record 198 straight games and appeared in 270 contests in a row.

The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning were playing in nearby Tampa Bay, which is roughly 20 miles from St. Petersburg, in Game 4 of their semifinals series against the Montreal Canadiens.