Who said anything about a home field advantage? The Tampa Bay Rays looked like the antithesis of themselves in a concerning 4-0 loss at home to the Texas Rangers in the MLB playoffs. They made sloppy defensive mistakes (four errors) and failed to do the savvy, little things that define their brand of baseball.

Such a poor showing in the postseason is crushing enough, but an alarming statistic regarding Tropicana Field's low turnout for Tuesday afternoon's game is sure to pour salt in the gaping wounds. There were just 19,704 people in attendance.

“If that seems historically low for a postseason game, it is!” The Athletic's Tyler Kepner wrote. “A search on Stathead at baseball-reference reveals that the last time a postseason game drew so few fans (not including the limited-attendance games in 2020) was in the 1919 World Series! That was in Game 7 (in a best-of-nine) in Cincinnati in the infamous series thrown by the Black Sox.”

Rays' attendance problem

That's right, there has not been a more sparsely attended postseason game since a World Series that can only be seen in its entirety in the film, “Eight Men Out.” Yikes. While the approximate 3 p.m. ET first pitch certainly plays a role in producing such a small number, there is reason for legitimate concern. The Rays regularly rank near the bottom of the MLB in this category, despite consistently fielding a quality product year after year.

This is clear validation for their new stadium, which is expected to begin construction next year and open in 2028. Is it more than just the facility, though? Tropicana Field is widely considered one of the worst ballparks in the country, but one would expect people to tough it out during the MLB playoffs, particularly in a marquee matchup against the Rangers.

The organization may eventually be forced to accept the possibility that baseball is just not a major draw in St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, we will not know the answer to that touchy question for several years. In the meantime, Tampa Bay must make do in its current home.

After a folly-filled American League Wild Card game, the Rays could use all the support they can muster for Wednesday's must-win showdown.