A look inside the Tampa Bay Rays' 120-hour makeover of the Yankees' Steinbrenner Field

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Junior Caminero opened the narrow white door in his new spacious locker and the Tampa Bay third baseman discovered a bat Giancarlo Stanton left behind.

Down the row at the other prestigious corner stall, pitcher Shane Baz had no idea he was in Aaron Judge's spring training abode.

“I haven't found anything yet,” he said. “I'll take anything.”

Left homeless after Hurricane Milton destroyed the Tropicana Field roof on Oct. 9, the Rays began their season as renters at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training headquarters for the New York Yankees. They beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2 when rookie Kameron Misner broke a tie leading off the ninth inning with his first major league home run.

“Talk about the wind. Talk about wearing sunglasses at a home opener. It was a little strange early on,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “I’ve got my notes and different thoughts and the winds whipping in the dugout and, yeah, it's just not a factor that we’re accustomed to. Shadows, not accustomed to that, at home at least.”

Tampa Bay replaced more than 3,000 signs and images in the ballpark during a 120-hour makeover after the Yankees' final home spring training game ended Sunday at 3:33 p.m. By the time of Friday's first pitch at 4:10 p.m. before a sellout crowd of 10,046 on a sunny 82-degree afternoon, banners spelling “R-A-Y-S” covered the “Y-A-N-K-E-E-S” signs above the first- and third-base stands and large photos of Shane McClanahan and Taj Bradley were on the back of the scoreboard, visible to cars driving in.

An interlocking “NY” chandelier in the spacious Rays clubhouse was covered with a square canvas highlighting the Rays' yellow, Columbia blue and white starburst with “Home of the Rays” written on each side. The replica of the Yankee Stadium frieze above each stall was concealed, too, and a mat with white “TB” letters was on the floor leading to the showers, obscuring tile the read “The Bronx” and “New York,” meant to emulate a subway.

Clubhouse staff found a touchpad and changed the 12 thin ceiling lights imitating Yankees pinstripes from white to deep blue.

Misters were installed in the dugouts and bench padding was replaced along with the bat and helmet racks.

But there were reminders this was a ballpark built for spring training's expanded rosters — most Rays had two lockers. Just 39 of 77 stalls were occupied, including 25 of the 51 ringing the walls.

“New York Yankees executive offices” was etched in the doors of an office entrance, and the statue of late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and the display of New York's retired numbers outside the ballpark remained unaltered. Yankees logos were in place at the end of each row in the seating bowl and while “TB” replaced a Yankees sign atop the scoreboard, the letters “George M. Steinbrenner Field” remained underneath.

Their locker room repurposed as the visitor manager's office, umpires were moved to a trailer more than 100 feet beyond the left field corner, near a city street.

Rays players luxuriated in facilities far more lavish than the ones they were accustomed to in the Trop: a two-level weight area, three therapy pools with TVs at water level, sauna red-light therapy, four batting cages and an indoor/outdoor dining area.

“It’s almost too much,” said pitcher Zack Littell, prepping for his start Saturday. “There’s so much space. I think if you had to complain about something, you have to walk a really long way to get places.”

Some players switched their season rentals from the St. Petersburg side of the bay to the Tampa flank, shortening their commute. Cash said his 10-minute trek to the Trop was now a 30-minute drive.

When he opened a drawer in his new desk, Cash came across a handwritten note from counterpart Aaron Boone.

“He just said: `Enjoy it. You guys, hope to have good health,'" Cash recounted, expressing appreciation.

“This one was pretty classy. Some of the things that Tito leaves is not so classy,” he said, referring playfully to new Cincinnati manager Terry Francona.

While the visitors' clubhouse is cramped, it is not uncomfortable. Extra space was created by moving the trainer's room to what had been storage space.

“They’ve done everything they can to make this feel like a big league park,” Colorado's Kris Bryant said.

Tampa Bay has played 2,148 games at the Trop, including the postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Rays' previous outdoor home games were a pair of series at Kissimmee, Florida, in 2007 and ’08, games against the Yankees moved to New York’s Citi Field in 2017 and in San Diego during the 2020 neutral-site postseason.

Last year's schedule at St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field averaged just 16,515, 28th among the 30 teams, and opening day was the only sellout. The Rays withdrew this month from a deal for a proposed new ballpark on a site adjacent to the Trop, and Major League Baseball will be watching closely to help determine if there would be an attendance advantage to a new stadium on the Tampa side of the bay, such as a proposed Ybor City site.

“We want the stadium here. I hate going across the bridge,” said Tom Eifrid, who was at the game with his wife, Kim, and has attended every Rays home opener since 2007. Eifrid lives in Hillsborough County, goes to about 10 games per season and said it took him 30 minutes to drive to Steinbrenner Field vs. an hour and 20 minutes to the Trop.

Given the intimate atmosphere of the one-deck, 34-row ballpark. the Rays are expecting fireworks — actual fireworks are to be set off following home runs during night games.

“I know a much smaller capacity here but it will feel like a much-more packed house,” Rays infielder Taylor Walls said. “We're excited to play in front of our fans here, in front of the fans of Tampa, maybe even Orlando that now get a chance to commute to the game.”

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A sell out crowd watches during the second inning of a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies at Steinbrenner Field Friday, March 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

FILE - Members of the media look around the New York Yankees clubhouse during a tour of the upgraded team spring training facilities Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius, File)

Members of the media look around the Tampa Bay Rays clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner Field during a stadium tour Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

The Tampa Bay Rays logo is shown on the window of the souvenir shop outside George M. Steinbrenner Field during a stadium tour Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays grounds crew members prepare the field for a practice at George M. Steinbrenner Field during a stadium tour Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays fans pick up schedule magnets ars they enter Steinbrenner Field before a baseball game between the Rays and the Colorado Rockies Friday, March 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Baseball fans gets their tickets scanned as they enter Steinbrenner Field before a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies Friday, March 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Fans pose for photos in Monument Park at Geroge M. Steinbrenner Field during a spring training baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

George M. Steinbrenner Field's scoreboard is shown during a spring training baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Fans fill George M. Steinbrenner Field during a spring training baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

A statue of George M. Steinbrenner stands outside George M. Steinbrenner Field during a spring training baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Fans fill George M. Steinbrenner Field during a spring training baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays grounds crew members prepare the field at George M. Steinbrenner Field during a stadium tour Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

A Tampa Bay Rays banner hangs near a New York Yankees logo outside George M. Steinbrenner Field during a stadium tour Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

BANGKOK (AP) — When the earthquake that hit Myanmar sent its tremors to Thailand, Naruemon Thonglek didn’t immediately know it also had collapsed a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok.

Seeing images of the debris on television news later, Naruemon immediately recognized the building where her long-time Burmese partner, his son and four of her friends had worked for the past month.

“My legs gave up. I lost all strength in my hands,” she said. “After the quake stopped I called him, messaged him, but there was no response. I couldn’t contact him. I sent him voice messages and he never read it. Then I knew for sure that he must have been inside.”

At least 18 people died in Bangkok, Thailand's capital, more than 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) from the center of the magnitude 7.7 quake in Myanmar on Friday, which killed more than 2,000 people there. According to Myanmar state television, the quake has so far killed 2,065 people, with more than 3,900 injured and about 270 missing.

Relief agencies expect those numbers to rise sharply, since access is slow to remote areas where communications are down.

In Bangkok, 78 people remain missing. Thai authorities are racing against time to find anyone left alive under the ruins as the crucial 72-hour mark passes. While the authorities have said they detected possible sounds of life, so far only one person was pulled alive from the rubble.

Tavida Kamolvej, Bangkok’s deputy governor, told reporters at the site Monday that crews are speeding up the search.

“Every second really counts,” she said.

Among those missing are the mother and younger sister of Chanpen Kaewnoi, who had been working at the site for a couple of months.

Chanpen said she couldn’t contact them after the quake, but later was told by a survivor that they had been on the fifth floor of the 30-story building.

“He told me that they ran from the fifth floor, and once he reached the ground, the building just collapsed,” she said. “He said he couldn’t find my mom and my sister. He said it was just a split second and he lost them.”

Naruemon said her partner, Kyi Tan, and the other five were assigned to work much higher up on the 26th floor. While her partner had extensive construction experience, this was his first high-rise project. As he left home on the morning of the quake, he said he would stay late in the hope of finishing his work by the end of the month.

Naruemon and Chanpen said they never heard their family members raise safety concerns while working at the building.

The authorities said they are investigating the cause of the building collapse as criticisms and concerns grow over safety and quality standards of Bangkok buildings. Chadchart Sittipunt, the city governor, has ordered a blanket inspection of all high-rise buildings in the capital.

Videos of the collapse show the building, which was meant to be a new State Audit Office, shaking a little before tumbling to the ground, sending a huge plume of dust into the sky as people scream and run away.

When Naruemon arrived at the site the following day, the scene of the ruins broke her spirit.

“I had a meltdown. I could only pray. I kept calling for them,” she said. “I wanted them to come back. I was so devastated. I didn’t know what to do.”

For two days, Naruemon walked around near the site with her family and friends, hoping to see any developments as heavy machines and rescue crews searched for survivors. She prayed and performed a religious rite asking the spirits to protect her loved ones.

“I want everyone trapped there to be found. In whatever conditions, I’m ok with it,” she said. “I’ve already made some peace with it. It’s been a few days already. A part of me still hopes they will survive, for a miracle, if it exists.”

Rescuers work at the site a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

A woman reacts after being informed that her husband had died at the site of a collapsed under construction high-rise building in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A relative consoles Kasorn, center, whose husband died in an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed on Friday, as they wait to take the body from the mortuary of a police hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, March, 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Natthanan Kaewkaiyasit, whose husband died in an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed on Friday, cries as she waits to take his body from a mortuary of a police hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Heavy machineries are employed to clear the huge pile of concrete from the site of an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed on Friday after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Rescuers talk as heavy machineries are employed to clear the huge pile of concrete at an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A rescuers talks on his walkie-talkie as heavy machineries are employed to clear the huge pile of concrete at an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Rescuers return from the site of an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed on Friday after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

A rescuer walks past a heavy machinery at an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Rescuers search for victims at the damaged construction site of a high-rise building in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 29, 2025, following its collapse after Friday' earthquake. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Rescuers make their way in from the top of debris to look for survivors from an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March, 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

A rescuer looks for survivors at the site of an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March, 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Rescuers walk past the ruin of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a strong earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Rescuers get ready for the day to work at the site of an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Punyang, 28, right, from Cambodia, sits with her relatives who have come to look for their uncle, who was working in an under-construction high-rise building that collapsed in an earthquake, in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March, 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Buaban Konkham, 55, left, talks on her mobile as she waits for news of her son, who is missing after an under-construction high-rise building collapsed in an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March, 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Naruemol Thonglek, top right, waits for news of her partner, sitting with other people looking for their relatives who were at the site where an under-construction high-rise building collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March, 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Duria, who is searching for his relatives, talks on the phone after reading the sign board of number of people dead and missing after an under-construction high-rise building collapsed in an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March, 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Chanpen Keawnoi shows the photograph of her missing mother to a woman who is also looking for her relatives after an under-construction high-rise building collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March, 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Chanpen Keawnoi waits to hear the news of her missing mother and sister who were in the under-construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March, 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Naruemol Thonglek, right, with her daughter, waits for news of her partner, who is missing after the collapse of an under-construction high-rise building after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, March, 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)