CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Philadelphia Phillies and the Clearwater Threshers have called Clearwater home for decades.
The Phillies started their Spring Training in Clearwater in 1947 and brought a minor league team to town in 1985.
"But when all of our executives arrive from Philadelphia, and the team arrives, there's just a buzz. So you know, spring training. I think the last study that the county did, I think there was over 75% of our attendees were from the Delaware Valley, which is really good for the local businesses, the hotels, the restaurants. So we average around 9,000 people for a spring training game," said Dough Kemp, General Manager of the Baycare Ballpark.
Currently, the teams play at Baycare Ballpark, just off US 19 and Drew Streets.
On July 19, the Threshers will host Fort Myers, their first home game since July 3.
Like most home games, the team has themed nights. On July 19, they will be giving away a Christmas in July snow globe.
Sit in the berm of Baycare Ballpark for just $7. Other seats start around $10.
The minor league games are truly family-friendly fun, with plenty of food options, a tiki bar for the adults and a playground for the kids.
"Minor league baseball is all about affordability. We pride ourselves on promoting every game with some type of theme. Some of our more popular nights are dollar Tuesdays, where you can get a ticket for $1, a hot dog for $1, a beer for $1," Kemp said. "We average close to 4,000 people on a Tuesday night. And then on Saturdays, we have fireworks, which we're really known for. "
While they're not quite ready to announce the details, some upgrades will be coming soon.
"We've been here [Baycare Ballpark] for 20 years. We've kind of outgrown certain areas when it comes to our staff and the way baseball has changed. So right now, we're working on some renovations that include expanding our staff areas and our player areas to accommodate, you know, the way baseball has changed. But also, we want to, you know, upgrade our facility from a fan's perspective. So, right now we're designing some things, we hope to be able to release that soon," said Kemp.
To get a full look at their schedule, click here.
