LAKELAND, Fla. — Tiger BBQ is the only event in the nation where Major League Baseball players, staff, and the community get to break bread together, and it’s the official kick-off to spring training in Lakeland.
Detroit native Al Pearce has been a Tigers fan for as long as he can remember.
“A big Tigers fan. I travel to see them. I’ve been to Chicago, Minnesota, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and now Lakeland,” said Pearce.
Pearce got to Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium early Thursday to snap pics of the players practicing. He and his wife will be attending all their spring training home games.
“We’ve been here three weeks, and we’ll be here till the end of March. Until the Tigers leave, then we leave,” said Pearce.
This year is the Detroit Tigers’ 89th season of spring training at Tigertown in Lakeland, making it the longest-standing relationship between a Major League Baseball team and a spring training host city.
According to Visit Central Florida, spring training generates $683 million for the local economy, with fans coming from all over the United States and Canada.
“52% of the people that are coming in to watch games are from out of state, so that’s new money being dumped into our economy,” said Mark Jackson, Director of Visit Central Florida.
People like Nancy Murray, who comes from Ontario, Canada, every year to root for her Toronto Blue Jays.
“We formed a group to buy tickets, and we’re going to see the Toronto Blue Jays and the Detroit Tigers and we’ve booked the Margaritaville,” said Murray.
Every year, hundreds of baseball fans come to the annual Tiger BBQ, where they can interact one-on-one with Detroit Tigers players, coaches, and staff.
“It’s an opportunity to mingle with some of the players, some of the coaches. Literally up close and personal. You can get autographs; you can have conversations. People that they admire on TV, but they don't get a chance to see up in real life,” Jackson said.
The Tigers have 15 home games for the 2025 spring training season, with the first game against the Philadelphia Phillies taking place Saturday.
“Like my mom said, in Inside Out 2, it's like a core memory.”
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