Clear blue skies, bright sunshine and green grass go together with baseball bats, leather gloves and cleats in Lakeland between February and March.
Saturday marks the start of the Detroit Tigers’ spring training schedule, a month of games that don’t count and when fans can get up close to players in the relaxed atmosphere of Joker Marchant Stadium.
“Fans are always good here in Lakeland — they come out to see our guys,” Tigers Manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday morning. “It’s fun when you get weather like this, they come out more often and we welcome everybody to see how we work.”
Fans can also attend practice.
Andy Romanosky brought his children Emmi, 12, and Noah, 11, and his father-in-law Dave Sheill on Tuesday morning to watch the second day of players on multiple practice fields. The family traveled from Birmingham, Mich., to watch their favorite team.
“They have the week off for mid-winter break,” said Romanosky, adding that the family stays with relatives in Tampa. “The last couple of years, we’ve been coming down, watching practice.”
Colton Reid, 13, stood along a fenceline to get autographs from players, with Beau Brieske signing a baseball card for the Atlanta resident, who is also on mid-winter break.
“It’s fun getting autographs and seeing faces and players,” Colton said.
Buying tickets
Tickets for individual games are on sale. Fans can pay $17 for seating on the outfield berm, $30 for a seat in the left field stands or $39 for a reserved seat in the shade. (Compare that to tickets for the Tigers’ home opener in Detroit, which start at $99 and go up to $360.)
Packages starting at five games are also available, as are season tickets with a $100 deposit.
Detroit Tigers’ spring training game schedule is:
- Saturday, Feb 24, 1:05 p.m. — New York Yankees
- Monday, Feb 26, 1:05 p.m. — Houston Astros
- Tuesday, Feb 27, 1:05 p.m. — Toronto Blue Jays
- Friday, March 1, 1:05 p.m. — Philadelphia Phillies
- Saturday, March 2, 1:05 p.m. — Pittsburgh Pirates
- Monday, March 4, 1:05 p.m. — Boston Red Sox
- Thursday, March 7, 6:05 p.m. — Toronto Blue Jays
- Saturday, March 9, 1:05 p.m. — Pittsburgh Pirates
- Tuesday, March 12, 1:05 p.m. — Minnesota Twins
- Thursday, March 14, 1:05 p.m. — New York Yankees
- Friday, March 15, 1:05 p.m. — Atlanta Braves
- Saturday, March 16, 1:05 p.m. — Philadelphia Phillies prospects vs. Detroit Tigers prospects
- Sunday, March 17, 1:05 p.m. — Baltimore Orioles
- Tuesday, March 19, 6:05 p.m. — Philadelphia Phillies
- Thursday, March 21, 1:05 p.m. — New York Mets
- Saturday, March 23, 1:05 p.m. — New York Yankees
- Sunday, March 24, 1:05 p.m. — Tampa Bay Rays
The Tigertown Express
Parking at Joker Marchant Stadium can set you back $12 for cars for an advance pass or $15 on the day of the game. Premium parking is $25 and you must pay in advance.
However, Polk County Citrus Connection is hoping to make things easier for folks headed to some of the games with a new “Tigertown Express” shuttle that will deliver fans to the stadium for free.
The pilot program will feature two routes. A north route will run every 20 minutes, shuttling fans to the stadium and back from the Gow Fields Park & Ride lot on the east side of U.S. 98 at Interstate 4 or the Target parking lot a bit farther north on U.S. 98.
A south route will run every 30 minutes, shuttling riders from the RP Center or Rose Street Park & Ride to the stadium and back. Parking at RP Funding is free.
The pilot program will provide service for the following six games and times:
- Saturday, Feb. 24, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. (Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees) – game time 1:05 p.m.
- Friday, March 1, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. (Detroit Tigers vs. Philadelphia Phillies) – game time 1:05 p.m.
- Monday, March 4, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. (Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox) – game time 1:05 p.m.
- Thursday, March 14, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. (Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees) – game time 1:05 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 19, 4:30 p.m.–11 p.m. (Detroit Tigers vs. Philadelphia Phillies) – game time 6:05 p.m.
- Saturday, March 23, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. (Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees) – game time 1:05 p.m.
“It’s door-to-door service,” Citrus Connection Executive Director Tom Phillips said, adding that the free shuttle buses will run on a continuous loop so if people arrive late or want to leave early, they won’t have to wait to get back to their cars.
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Is there a charge for parking at the RP center to take the free shuttle?