Catch a Spring Training Game

Celebrate Spring Training, when the nation’s most talented baseball players dust off their cleats and head to the Sunshine State, with games in Clearwater and Dunedin. 

Phillies at BayCare Ballpark

Every spring, the Philadelphia Phillies gear up for the coming season in Clearwater.

You'll find Spring Training fields throughout the Sunshine State, but the St. Pete/Clearwater area (as well as nearby Tampa) has some of the most legendary – including the Philadelphia Phillies’ camp in Clearwater and the Toronto Blue Jays’ facility in Dunedin. The hometown Tampa Bay Rays hold their Spring Training games at Charlotte Sports Park, just over an hour to the south.
 

The Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies, 11-time winners of the National League East title, train at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, a new venue welcoming an old team — the Phillies have been coming to the city every spring since 1948.
 
Built in 2004, BayCare Ballpark has great amenities, and fans can view the action from just about any vantage point here. There are 7,300 fixed seats, plus more than 1,500 additional seats on a grass berm in the outfield. So keep your eye on the game, since fly balls - whether knocked high behind the plate or beyond left field - can be caught by fans in the stands.
 
The park's amenities come with a tropical vibe. Besides the abundant palm trees and the Spanish Mediterranean architecture of the venue, there’s the full-service bar known as the Tiki Pavilion behind the left field wall. Other features include a 360-degree open concourse, group picnic areas, party suites, a kids' play area, upper deck club seating and a large team store. And of course, don’t even think about leaving without sampling the most classic of Philly favorites — cheesesteak sandwiches. 

  • Seating tip: The Phillies dugout is on the third base side. Buy tickets in sections 112-120 to sit on the home side of the stadium. Want an autograph? Phillies players sign before the game for those gathered in sections 118-120.

Toronto Blue Jays

Average February high temps in Toronto come in at a teeth-chattering 33 degrees, making the Blue Jays’ annual Spring Training at Dunedin’s TD Ballpark all the more enticing for the team’s players anxious for some Florida sunshine. The American League team has been spending its preseason in this small town just north of Clearwater since 1977. In keeping with the multinational vibe of the Blue Jays’ visit, Canadian and American national anthems are sung before games start and Toronto-based Labatt Blue beer is on hand.
 
Lauded for its cozy, residential atmosphere (it's tucked in among small businesses and homes a few blocks from downtown), the field has been ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the top five places to watch a Spring Training game. For an extra-charming touch, "Chad the Beer Guy" gets fans to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" from the top of the dugout during the seventh-inning stretch.
 
The food at the stadium isn’t your standard beer-and-a-pretzel fare. In keeping with St. Pete/Clearwater’s identity as a craft beer mecca, there's a Craft Beer Dugout inside the third-base concourse. A large tent-covered grill behind home plate serves up pulled-pork sandwiches and baked beans.
 

  • Seating tip: To sit on the Jays' side of the stadium, buy tickets in sections 100-106 or 200-206. Prefer to sit in the shade? A roof provides cover over the top six rows (11-16) of seats in the upper grandstand, except for the three sections (205-207) in front of the press box. The afternoon sun is behind the first-base grandstand, enabling all covered rows (11 and up) to receive shade in sections 200-204.

Spring Training in the area goes back to 1914, when the St. Louis Browns lost to the Chicago Cubs 3-2 at Coffee Pot Park in St. Pete. 

Grapefruit League Baseball Spring Training

Nine other major league teams, named the Grapefruit League, play their spring games within a two-hour drive of St. Pete/Clearwater. The legendary New York Yankees call Tampa home for the Spring Training season. The Atlanta Braves take the field in North Port, south of Sarasota. Head to Lakeland to see the Detroit Tigers working out, or to West Palm Beach to see the Houston Astros. 

The 2018 World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox, and the 1991 champions, the Minnesota Twins, train in Fort Myers, while the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates play ball in Sarasota and Bradenton, just a short drive south on I-75.  

Last but not least, the hometown Tampa Bay Rays play their spring games at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, 100 miles south of St. Pete. 

Workouts for all teams begin in February and continue until early March, when teams take the field for opening day.

St. Pete/Clearwater Area Spring Training Ticket Information

Philadelphia Phillies, call 727-467-4457 or visit www.phillies.com

Toronto Blue Jays, call 727-733-0429 or visit www.bluejays.com

New York Yankees, call 813-879-2244 or visit www.gmsfield.com

Tampa Bay Rays, call 727-898-RAYS or visit www.mlb.com/rays