Let the games begin: fans enjoy spring training at Goodyear Ballpark

By Madeline Ackley Salazar
Mail | Twitter: @Mkayackley

Goodyear Ballpark was bustling Friday for the stadium’s first spring training game of the year.

Fans clapped from the bleachers, a sea of red and blue as the Cleveland Guardians played the Cincinnati Reds. 

Families lounged in the grass beneath umbrellas, and teenagers tossed a ball around off to the side. Stadium workers swept the floors and sold customers snacks and beers.

When the game ended in a 3-2 win for the Guardians, players lingered on the edge of the field, signing baseballs and posing for photos with fans.

There was certainly no indication that the second-longest labor dispute in MLB history had just ended, nor that players had been locked out of the stadium for more than three months. 

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It’s been a rough couple of years for spring training fans and for cities like Goodyear that host the games. This year it was the owner-imposed lockouts–before that, COVID-19. 

But none of these disruptions seemed to be on the minds of the 4,000 fans in attendance. The crowd seemed jovial–content to catch a game, belated or not. 

Despite the abnormal season, the scene on Friday was of a typical spring training game.

Fans will have the opportunity to attend another 17 games between March 19 and April 5. 

For more information on tickets and game schedules visit the Goodyear Ballpark website. 

Madeline Ackley Salazar can be reached at mackley@iniusa.org or found on Twitter @Mkayackley.