Baseball Fans Flock to Florida Spring Training
It was a tale of two seasons during the 2018 Florida Spring Training season as 1,497,306 fans attended 237 games over the course of 33 days.
For the final 20 days of the 2018 season, March 8 through March 27, an average of 6,907 fans attended 137 games, a 25% increase, over the first 13 days.
The 2018 season opened with a full schedule of eight games on Friday, February 23, the earliest season opener on record. Through Wednesday, March 7, an average of 5,510 fans attended the first 100 games.
Highlights from the 2018 season included:
- The most attended day of the 2018 season was Saturday, March 24, when 64,069 fans attended the eight games of the day, for an average of 8,009 per game.
- The 2017 World Series Championship resulted in a 21% increase in attendance for the Houston Astros at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. A total of 67,931 fans attended the Astros 15 Florida Spring Training Games, up from 55,881 in 2017. It was the Astros highest Spring Training attendance on record.
- Seven teams topped the 100,000 total attendance mark. The Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies reached six figures.
- The most attended game of the 2017 season was the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, with 10,906 fans in attendance, at Spectrum Field on St. Patrick’s Day, Saturday, March 17.
- The Boston Red Sox had the top total attendance of the 2018 season, with 165,688 fans attending 17 games at Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers.
- The New York Yankees had the highest per game average with 9,882 fans attending 16 games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
Since 2000, a total of 29,651,981 fans have attended Spring Training games in Florida.
The 2018 Florida Spring Training attendance figure accounts for all games between Major League teams, played in the State of Florida. Attendances are compiled daily by the Florida Sports Foundation, the State of Florida’s lead sports promotion and development organization and a Division of Enterprise Florida, Inc, and verified by each team.
Follow the Florida Grapefruit League at www.floridagrapefruitleague.com.
2018 Team-by-Team Florida Spring Training Attendance
Atlanta Braves – ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Lake Buena Vista
18 Games: 112,981 total attendance; 6,277 average per game
Largest Crowd: 10,330 vs. New York Yankees, Saturday, March 24
Baltimore Orioles – Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota
15 Games (One Rainout): 103,294 total attendance; 6,886 average per game
Largest Crowd: 8,782, vs. New York Yankees, Wednesday, March 14
Boston Red Sox – JetBlue Park, Fort Myers
17 Games: 165,688 total attendance; 9,746 average per game
Largest Crowd: 10,179 vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Thursday, March 15
Detroit Tigers – Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland
17 Games: 111,561 total attendance; 6,562 average per game
Largest Crowd: 10,077 vs. New York Yankees, Saturday, March 17
Houston Astros – FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
15 Games: 67,931 total attendance; 4,539 average per game
Largest Crowd: 6,663 vs. St. Louis Cardinals, Wednesday, March 14
Miami Marlins – Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter
15 Games: 56,687 total attendance; 3,779 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,648 vs. New York Yankees, Sunday, March 11
Minnesota Twins – Hammond Stadium at CENTURYLINK Sports Complex, Fort Myers
15 Games (One Rainout): 110,770 total attendance; 7,385 average per game
Largest Crowd: 9,284 vs. New York Yankees, Thursday, March 22
New York Mets – First Data Field, Port St. Lucie
17 Games: 93,647 total attendance; 5,509 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,419 vs. New York Yankees, Wednesday, March 7
New York Yankees – George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa
16 Games: 158,104 total attendance; 9,882 average per game
Largest Crowd: 10,330 vs. Tampa Bay Rays, Sunday, March 4
Philadelphia Phillies – Spectrum Field, Clearwater
17 Games: 124,826 total attendance; 7,343 average per game
Largest Crowd: 10,906 vs. Atlanta Braves, Saturday, March 17
Pittsburgh Pirates – LECOM Park, Bradenton
16 Games: 96,363 total attendance; 6,023 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,814 vs. New York Yankees, Saturday, February 24
St. Louis Cardinals – Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter
14 Games: 82,791 total attendance; 5,914 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,339 vs. New York Mets, Saturday, March 24
Tampa Bay Rays – Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte
15 Games: 69,731 total attendance; 4,649 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,985 vs. New York Yankees, Sunday, March 25
Toronto Blue Jays – Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin
15 Games: 68,929 total attendance; 4,595 average per game
Largest Crowd: 5,514 vs. Boston Red Sox, Monday, March 12
Washington Nationals – FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
15 Games: 74,003 total attendance; 4,934 average per game
Largest Crowd: 7,020 vs. St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, March 25
Florida Spring Training Total Attendance
237 Games (two rained out): 1,497,306 total attendance; 6,318 average per game
Largest Crowd: 10,906, Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Spectrum Field, Clearwater, Saturday, March 17