Spring Baseball in Bradenton Breaks Attendance Records

McKechnie Field in Bradenton was among seven Florida ball parks to set attendance records in the stories Grapefruit League during Spring Training.

Overall, more than 1.5 million people went out to the ball game for spring training competitions in Florida.

At McKechnie Field, in Bradenton, the total attendance at 15 games was 93,433 people. Attendance averaged at 6,229 per game.

The largest turnout was for a Pirates vs. Yankees game, on Sunday, March 17. A total of 8,541 fans turned out for that game.

The seven teams setting attendance records are:

• Pittsburgh Pirates (McKechnie Field, Bradenton)
• Baltimore Orioles (Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota)
• Boston Red Sox (Jet Blue Park, Fort Myers)
• Detroit Tigers (Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland)
• Tampa Bay Rays (Charlotte Sports Complex, Port Charlotte)
• Toronto Blue Jays (Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, Dunedin)
• Washington Nationals (Space Coast Stadium, Viera)

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is lauding attendance records this year at spring training games, including in Florida.

According to Bay News 9, Scott said the Spring Training games are "critical to jobs for families throughout Florida."

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