At the home of the Japanese consul general in Atlanta, Hank Aaron is presented with the Gold Rays with Rosette, the fourth class of Order of the Rising Sun, one of Japan’s highest honors. The 81 year-old American home run king is commended, along with Sadaharu Oh, for his efforts towards the World Children’s Baseball Fair, an organization which fosters an environment of world understanding and cultural exchange through the celebration of the sport.

“I think it is a plan that is in the best interest of the entire bay area and I have to give him [St. Pete’s mayor Rick Kriseman] an awful lot of credit for perseverance and for crafting a plan that has the best interests of the citizens of St. Petersburg, protects their investment in that stadium and at the same time recognizes the fiscal reality of the situation.” – BOB BUCKHORN, mayor of Tampa, Florida The St. Petersburg’s City Council votes 5-3, supporting a measure which allows the Rays to explore new stadium sites in Hillsborough County, which had, up to now, not been up for discussion due to the team’s agreement to stay at Tropicana Field until 2027. The heralded deal looks out for taxpayers while securing the franchise’s commitment to remain in the environs of the Tampa Bay area.

2016 – The St. Petersburg, FL city council votes to allow the Tampa Bay Rays to explore potential ballpark sites outside the city, including in Tampa, FL across the Bay. The team has played in St. Pete since its creation in the expansion of 1998, but has been unable to find an appropriate site for new digs there, while being held prisoner by a long-term lease in outdated Tropicana Field.