TEMPE, AZ — After 99 days, the MLB players union and league owners have come to an agreement to end the league’s lockout, bringing Spring Training baseball back to the Valley.
The Spring Training season will officially begin Thursday, March 17 for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who will play the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields as the away team. A time for that game has not been announced yet, and tickets are not on sale yet online as of 3 p.m.
“Relieved... We’re really relieved,” said Cactus League Executive Director Bridget Binsbacher.
Every other team in the Cactus League will begin games starting Friday, March 18 except for the Chicago White Sox, who will begin play Saturday.
Friday's play will include notable matchups between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium, Milwaukee Brewers against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch, and the LA Angels against the Oakland Athletics at Hohokam Stadium.
“We’ve all been through so much the last few years. We’ve proven how resilient we can be, and adaptable and flexible,” said Binsbacher.
While a regular season of Spring Training typically brings in about $644 million, the exact economic impact this shortened season will have is unclear. Binsbacher, however, is just happy to have games coming back to the Valley.
“The Cactus League Spring Training season should absolutely be part of Arizona’s recovery,” Binsbacher said. “We’re just going to make the most of what we have to work with.”
Tickets for Diamondbacks home games can be found online here.
For the full MLB Spring Training schedule, click here.
Opening Day for the regular season is slated for April 7.
