1995 – Major League Baseball owners unanimously approve two expansion teams: the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Each of the new clubs will pay a $130 million franchise fee and will begin play in 1998.

This Day In Baseball

On March 9, 1995 — Major League Baseball owners unanimously approve two expansion teams: the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Each of the new clubs will pay a $130 million franchise fee and will begin play in 1998.

Tampa Bay’s new expansion team will be known as the Devil Rays, a name that will prove to be unpopular due to its un-Christian reference after being selected from more than 7,000 entries submitted by the public. The club’s owner Vince Niamoli had preferred his team be called the Sting Rays, but he refused to pay the $35,000 needed to buy the trademark from a club in the Hawaiian Winter League, who owned the rights to the nickname.