Pirates Limit Spring Training Fans At Bradenton's LECOM Park

BRADENTON, FL — The Pittsburgh Pirates will limit attendance to 25 percent of its normal capacity for spring training games at LECOM Park in Bradenton, the team announced on its website.

The home opener is scheduled Feb. 28 against the Atlanta Braves. The team’s Grapefruit League opener comes the day prior, at the Red Sox. The Pirates are slated to host 17 home spring training games through March 29.

Tickets will be offered by seating pod allotments of two or four tickets per transaction. There will be at least six feet of social distancing spaced between each pod, the team said.

All fans, other than children 2 years old and younger, will also be required to wear face masks while visiting the ballpark. The only exception will be when visitors are eating or drinking while seated, the Pirates said.

The only bags permitted in the park will be medical and diaper bags, and the team will move towards contactless, digital ticketing, though the ticket office will be open for limited ticket sales. Also, autographs won’t be permitted on-site, the team said.

Touchless faucets, soap and towel dispensers have been installed in bathrooms at LECOM Park, and hand-sanitizing stations are available throughout the ballpark. Concession lines will be marked for social distancing, and new customer-facing credit card machines have been installed at each point-of-sale to reduce contact. There will also be a plexiglass barrier between concession servers and fans, the Pirates said.

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Tickets will first be made available to ticket holders and corporate partners Wednesday. Their pre-sale runs through Sunday.

New season-ticket packages won’t be made available because of capacity limits, and health and safety protocols.

Tickets remaining after the pre-sale will be available to purchase Monday at 10 a.m. by visiting pirates.com/springtraining or by calling 941-747-3031.