It Must Be Spring, Tickets Are On Sale

Beginning on January 9th Major League Baseball teams who conduct Spring Training in Arizona began selling tickets to the Cactus League games held in March and early April.

Each team sets their own date to begin selling tickets. The Arizona Diamondbacks are generally one of the last teams who offer tickets for sale. They established January 23rd as the date for tickets to go on sale for home games in Tucson.

The Diamondbacks have been training at Tucson Electric Park in 1998, the team’s first year as a franchise. Tucson Electric Park or TEP for short was designed for two teams. In the beginning the Diamondbacks shared the complex with the Chicago White Sox. This neighbor relationship lasted until the White Sox moved to Glendale to a new facility that they share with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The White Sox move triggered a series of subsequent moves. With only two teams now in Tucson (the Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies), the Rockies elected to invoke a clause in their lease at Hi-Corbett Field allowing the team to move if less than three MLB franchises are playing in Tucson.

When the Rockies invoked their opt-out clause it triggered a similar clause in the Diamondbacks agreement with TEP allowing them to move if there are less than two teams based in Tucson for Spring Training.

As a result, the 2010 Cactus League will be the final year there will be Spring Training games played in Tucson. The Rockies and the Diamondbacks have broke ground on a new facility to be ready for the 2011 Cactus League.

The Diamondbacks are hopeful there will be large crowds this March for their final season in Tucson. The spring schedule shows 15 home games at TEP with visits from most of the Cactus League teams.

The final game to be played in Tucson is scheduled for March 30 against the Texas Rangers. The opening game will be on March 4 against the Colorado Rockies.

Tickets can be purchased at the TEP box office, the Arizona Diamondbacks web site, or by calling the D-Backs ticket office at 866-672-1343.