25 years later, the “Devil Rays” were in the World Series

Two and a half decades ago, Vincent J. Naimoli envisioned a gradient Devil Rays logo being displayed on the national stage. Unfortunately, it would take until after his death for that vision to become a reality as the Rays finally displayed their original logo during the Fall Classic.

During their 20th anniversary season in 2018, the Rays started to fully embrace their history, which didn’t shine nearly as bright as their uniforms did during those dark early days.

The team’s reconciliation with their rainbow themed Devil Rays jerseys was met with tremendous enthusiasm, both on and off the field. Some players even took to matching the jerseys with the rest of their on field apparel, with shortstop Willy Adames in particular donning some eye popping socks and footwear.

Photo by Cooper Neill/MLB Photos via Getty Images

During the 2008 regular season and eventually during the playoffs, the Rays donned a jersey redesign that did pay some homage to their past. After abbreviating the name of the franchise from Devil Rays to just Rays, and significantly altering the team’s color scheme and jersey design, the Rays maintained a Devil Ray on the sleeve of their jerseys that remained there ever since.

However, it wasn’t until 2018 that the team fully embraced their roots and wore true throwback uniforms, and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. The Sunday fit has kept the Devil Rays cap, and the Rays were true to that look throughout the playoffs, including in Game 5 of the World Series.

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

For a fan of the team, seeing the Devil Rays cap worn in all its glory on the biggest stage brought 25 years of Rays Baseball full circle. Heck, it’s even one of the best sellers from the Series merch.

In a year of many wonderful Rays moments, this is one we will savor.