The Boys Are Back In Town: Spring Training Returns To Tampa Bay

CLEARWATER, FL — While Tampa Bay residents wouldn't know it by any change in temperature, they know it's spring by the arrival of Major League Baseball teams to their spring training camps.

Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard was on hand to greet the Philadelphia Phillies' equipment truck after it made the 1,058-mile journey from the City of Brotherly Love to the Sunshine State to prepare for the arrival of most of the Phillies' pitchers and catchers Wednesday.

With strict coronavirus protocols in place, a limited number of fans in the stadiums and a regionalized game schedule to cut down on travel, fans were relieved when the MLB announced the return of the Grapefruit League to Florida.

The Grapefruit League teams on Florida's east coast will play 24 games regionally, and teams on the west coast — the Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates — will play 28 games regionally.

Phillies Spring Training

The Phillies are slated to host 14 of their 28 spring training games at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, with the season officially beginning on the road against the Detroit Tigers on Feb. 28. Then, on March 1, the Phillies will play their Grapefruit League home opener against the Orioles.

The Phillies will host their final spring training game on March 29 against the Blue Jays before returning to Philadelphia for the club’s 2021 regular season home opener against the Atlanta Braves on April 1 at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies have been a spring fixture in Clearwater since 1947. The team originally used Carpenter Field until Jack Russell Stadium, at 800 Phillies Drive in Clearwater, was built in 1955. The stadium, now used for high school and college baseball and softball, was originally built with a 4,744 seating capacity and later expanded to 6,942 seats.

When the Phillies outgrew Jack Russell Stadium, the city agreed to build Spectrum Stadium at 601 Old Coachman Road. The Phillies have been hosting spring training there since 2003.

The public on-sale date for Phillies spring training games will be Friday at Phillies.com. Seating at Spectrum Field, which has a capacity of 8,500, will be limited to 2,200 fans

Blue Jays Spring Training

Meanwhile, Shelby Nelson, director of Florida operations for the Toronto Blue Jays, is scheduled to meet with the Dunedin City Commission Thursday to give it an update on the ballclub's spring training season.

Amid much fanfare, last year on Feb. 24, Dunedin city officials celebrated the completion of $102 million in renovations to the Toronto Blue Jays' spring training stadium, TB Ballpark, at 373 Douglas Ave., and the team's new training complex at 1700 Solon Ave., Dunedin.

Less than two weeks later, Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announced that the MLB was delaying spring training games and the start of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It was a major letdown for Dunedin residents and Blue Jays fans who'd been looking forward to seeing the Jays play in their substantially improved spring training facility.

Dunedin has been the spring training home for the Toronto Blue Jays since the ballclub was founded in 1977. But the old Dunedin Stadium (originally called Grant Field), with only 5,500 seats, no longer met the ballclub's needs.

To keep the team in Dunedin, the Pinellas County Commission agreed in 2017 to spend $42 million in tourist development tax funds to renovate the stadium, expanding the seating capacity to 8,500.

The state kicked in another $14 million, the city of Dunedin contributed $5.66 million, and the ballclub invested more than $20 million, making the stadium renovations the largest construction project in the city's history.

However, the Jays barely had time to break in the newly sodded field when Manfred announced a halt to spring training. The MLB resumed a shortened spring training season on July 1, but it hardly made up for the loss in revenue for businesses that depend on spring training.

A 2018 economic impact study by the Florida Sports Foundation estimated that spring training games in Florida have a $687 million economic impact on the state and create 7,152 jobs.

In 2019, more than 1.4 million fans attended spring training games in Florida.

Despite limited seating in the stadium and other coronavirus restrictions, Dunedin Mayor Julie Ward Bujalski said she is looking forward to an exciting spring season.

The Blue Jays will play 28 spring training games, starting on Feb. 28 against the New York Yankees at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

The Jays' spring training home opener is set for March 1 at 1:07 p.m. against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Past spring training season ticket holders will have first access to tickets on Monday ahead of the sale of tickets to the public on Feb. 24 at 10 a.m.

Coronavirus Restrictions

Both Spectrum Stadium and TD Ballpark will be limited to a 15 percent capacity.

Tickets will be sold in seating pod allotments of two, three or four per transaction; digital ticketing is recommended. Pods will be spaced at least 6 feet apart, with markers reminding fans to keep a safe distance from one another.

All fans age 2 and older must wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at all times on ballpark property, other than when eating or drinking in their seats. Concession stands will have social distancing markers and plexiglass dividers. Hand sanitizer stations will also be available throughout the ballpark.

Autographs will not be permitted, and spectators will not be allowed at practices.

For the complete Grapefruit League schedule, click here.

See related stories:

• Blue Jays Celebrate Opening Of Renovated Stadium At Season Opener
• Groundbreaking Ceremony Set For New Toronto Blue Jays Stadium
• Blue Jays Return To Dunedin But Season A Bust For Businesses