Cactus League drew record number of fans in 2017
Apr 6, 2017, 2:12 PM
Fans in Arizona came out in record-setting numbers for spring training in 2017, with the Cactus League drawing 1,941,347 fans to Arizona ballparks during the season, the best in its history.
With the help of zero rainouts, the league broke its previous record of 1,902,903, set in 2015. The total includes the attendees for the 15 clubs at the 10 Arizona ballparks used in the Cactus League. It also includes two games played in Las Vegas and 11 games against World Baseball Classic teams.
“We’re grateful for the Major League Baseball fans who flocked to ballparks across Maricopa County this spring,” Cactus League president Jeff Meyer said. “These numbers show that the Cactus League is as robust and popular as ever.”
For the fourth consecutive season, the Chicago Cubs drew the most fans. The reigning World Series champions drew 251,899 fans in 17 games, an average of 14,818 fans per game in the 15,000-seat Sloan Park. Sloan became the hot spot for action throughout the season, setting five of the top seven single-game marks in Cactus League history.
Five other clubs, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, set single-game attendance records in 2017.
