Here’s what you missed over the weekend – hint, it’s all about sports

Life almost felt back to normal in Tampa Bay over the weekend, especially for sports fans. St. Petersburg hosted the long-awaited Firestone Grand Prix IndyCar race, rescheduled from mid-March. The Tampa Bay Rowdies defeated Louisville City in the Eastern Conference Final. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took down the Las Vegas Raiders.

And then, of course, there are the Tampa Bay Rays playing in one of the most exciting World Series matchups in recent history. Here’s how the weekend went according to social media:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Just a few more hours until Race 1 at @gpstpete! 🏎💨 Qualifying 2 results: 🅿️3️⃣ @danial_frost 🇸🇬 #68 🅿️5️⃣ @rasmus_lindh 🇸🇪 #3 Race 1 at 5:40pm ET. #RoadtoIndy #TeamCooperTire #GPSTPETE #IndyPro2000

A post shared by Turn 3 Motorsport (@turn3motorsport) on Oct 24, 2020 at 9:33am PDT

Josef Newgarden won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, but Scott Dixon was the big winner Sunday, clinching his sixth IndyCar championship. The event, which was capped at 20,000 fans due to Covid-19, reached capacity crowds Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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@scottdixon9 running the stop sign at Central and Beach while on his way to his sixth @indycar championship! #indycar #gpstpete @gpstpete @chipganassiracing #chipganassiracing #scottdixon @igersstpete #igersstpete @ilovetheburg #ilovetheburg @stpeteisawesome #stpeteisawesome #motorsport #motorsportphotography #automotivephotography #becauseracecar #nikon #nikonnofilter

A post shared by Photography:Gabriel Loewenberg (@sonicgabephotos) on Oct 25, 2020 at 7:29pm PDT

Local elected officials got in on the fun, including Tampa mayor Jane Castor, St. Pete City Council member Robert Blackmon and St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman.

Saturday night, the Tampa Bay Rowdies put on a show of their own, beating Louisville City 2-1. They’ll take on Phoenix Rising in the USL championship final at home in St. Pete Sunday, Nov. 1 at 8:30 p.m.

WE’RE HEADED TO THE @USLCHAMPIONSHIP FINAL!#TogetherRowdies pic.twitter.com/njiHy2A73k

— Tampa Bay Rowdies- y (@TampaBayRowdies) October 25, 2020

For now, they’re just savoring the moment.

Woke up feeling like conference champs! pic.twitter.com/iO63GPkvBR

— Tampa Bay Rowdies- y (@TampaBayRowdies) October 25, 2020

The Bucs also had reason to celebrate after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 45-20. Quarterback Tom Brady threw four touchdowns Sunday, including one to his longtime Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski.

But the real story of the weekend was Game Four of the World Series, where a series of errors by the Los Angeles Dodgers led to a come-from-behind win by the Rays in the ninth inning. Social media went wild.

All the emotions. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/QKeWXuKSnZ

— MLB (@MLB) October 25, 2020

Brett Phillips, who grew up in Seminole and joined the Rays two months ago, hit the winning run and become the unlikely hero of the night. His last base hit was Sept. 25.

From hype man to Game 4 hero.#WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/oe6rlGz4Io

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) October 25, 2020

Even comedian Kathy Griffin weighed in on the game.

Sir, you clearly didn’t see the end of the Dodgers/Rays game.#WorldSeries https://t.co/ZvHWqaCukm

— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) October 25, 2020

While Sunday’s night game wasn’t a win for the Rays, they’ll be back at it again to fight for their season Tuesday night. The City of St. Petersburg and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater will again be hosting a socially distant watch party at Spa Beach Park at the St. Petersburg Pier. Roughly 400 8×8 pods are set up at the park, with six people permitted per pod. Hopefully, there will be a game seven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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World Series watch party at St. Pete Pier. What a game! What an ending! That was fun.

A post shared by Melissa Wright (@melissa51w) on Oct 24, 2020 at 9:28pm PDT