Retour
Entering Game 3 of the 2026 World Series on Monday, Oct. 16, any Milwaukee Brewers fan paying attention knows the key players.
There's team captain Christian Yelich, who has become a Milwaukee icon since his start on the team in 2018. There's catcher William Contreras, whose spirit and talent gets fans hyped like no other. There's manager Pat Murphy, with his loving teasing of the players and unusual pocket snacks. Many other players have had big moments, like pitcher Aaron Ashby, outfielders Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick, and second baseman Brice Turang.
And you can't forget Bernie Brewer, Barrelman and the Famous Racing Sausages.
But the Brewers are about to enter a whole new territory, away from the land of beer and fried dairy, into a tropical realm of palm trees and a giant sting ray aquarium.
And with it, three new characters are about to be introduced to the World Series multiverse.
Their names? Raymond, Stinger and DJ Kitty.
Here's an introduction to each of the Tampa Bay Rays' mascots.
Raymond is very blue.
Tampa Bay Rays' official website describes his origin story:
"In early 1998, Rays scouts on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico spotted a strange-looking animal. The creature, apparently drawn to the boat by the smell of hot dogs on the hibachi, climbed aboard and soon won the scouts over with his silly antics. During the excitement, a scout had a brilliant idea: make this fun-loving fuzz ball the mascot for the new baseball team."
What type of creature is he, you might ask? Raymond is a Seadog.
While it's not quite clear what part of Raymond resembles any breed of canine, the Rays' website describes Seadogs as having "all the traits of normal dogs" that "enjoy going for walks, playing with kids, and fetching."
However, the site says, Seadogs are "five to six feet tall, walk upright, are blue in color, and chase catfish."
Raymond – his full name is Raymond Rays – has been the official mascot of the team since its start in 1998. As such, he considered the leader of his trio of friends.
Stinger is, as his name suggests, a stingray. With legs, of course.
His profile on the Rays' website says he's the official tour guide of the Rays' Touch Tank, a giant aquarium in center field that houses real stingrays. He stands 5-foot-5, weighs 150 pounds and was born in the Gulf of Mexico.
Stinger, also known to Rays fans as Flappy Boi, debuted in the MLB in 2014. He has a million-dollar smile and giant puppy-dog eyes that steals fans' hearts.
Now this one is unique. DJ Kitty – also aptly named – is a feline disc jockey.
But her start with the team was unconventional. She's the immortalized figure of a real cat named Annabelle, who was found as a stray near the dumpsters of Tropicana Field in 2010 and was adopted by the Rays' former vice president for branding and fan experience, Darcy Raymond, according to The Athletic.
The Rays marketing team took a video of Annabelle seemingly spinning records while dressed in a Tampa Bay Rays jersey, cap and a 2008 ALCS ring around her neck from Raymond's apartment, then showed it on the Jumbotron at a 2010 game.
The video was made at a time when simple YouTube videos of animals doing human activities enraptured audiences (see: Keyboard Cat). Fans welcomed DJ Kitty with open arms.
While Annabelle the cat has since passed on, her memory lives on as the 6-foot-tall mascot DJ Kitty.