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For the first time at Tropicana Field, fans will see a striped field. The turf design has been implemented to resemble a mowed grass field.

Additional changes include the following innovations:

• Rubber pellets are being substituted for coconut husks in the turf’s backfill.
• The warning track will remain visually identical, but now audible to outfielders, thanks to Safeshell — crushed walnut shells — that will be placed throughout. (The Tampa Bay Rays are the only MLB team utilizing the Safeshell product.)

The Rays donated 75,000 square feet of old turf to the City of St. Petersburg, Hillsborough County and other local groups to be used for soccer fields, batting cages and more in order to reduce the amount of wasted turf and provide cost-saving improvements for organizations in the area.

Upgrades at Tropicana Field also included the removal and repair of the cupola (the small center piece at the top of the dome).

GMF Steel and Quality Roofing assisted in repairing the cupola on the top exterior of the Tropicana Field dome. Due to the age of the ballpark, the original documents were handwritten, causing the team to have to handcraft the raw materials onsite.

The existing structure was flown by helicopter and had to be restored by removing decades’ worth of built-up paint and rust.

Opening Day is in one week.