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Want a sure sign of spring to distract yourself from your busted bracket? Major League Baseball has stepped up to the plate.
The MLB opener on March 27 came on the heels of an extremely lucrative and well attended spring training season for both the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues. (In Sarasota County alone, officials saw a more than $190 million economic impact in 2024 and similar results were expected this season.)
Here is a list of 10 fun facts to kick off the season.
Live Rays: The Tampa Bay Rays have an in-stadium touch pool inhabited by cownose stingrays. (ESPN)
Dead Birds: A dove’s random fly-by ended abruptly in a collision with a pitch by New York’s Randy Johnson during Spring Training in 2001. Final score: Johnson’s screaming fastball 1, Bird 0. (YouTube) In another weird twist of fate, Johnson became a wildlife photographer in retirement and his company logo is an upside-down bird in a pile of feathers.
Diamondbacks Pool: In Chase Field, fans can watch the action from a pool. (MLB/Diamondbacks site)
The Eagle Has Landed: In 2018, a bald eagle came in for a landing on the Seattle Mariners’ James Paxton and launched memes coast to coast. (Seattle Mariners)
The Streak is Broken: Streakers on MLB fields are a recurring phenom; in 2024, a man wearing only a Speedo was tackled by security as he attempted to run onto the field during Game 1 of the ALDS between the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. (New York Post)
1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,189: Odds of catching a foul ball at a game. Your chances are affected by the location of your seat, the configuration of the ballpark and other factors. (FanGraphs)
Got Your Eye on the Ball? According to MLB rules, the ball needs to be out of play for a spectator to reach for it; however, that is not always the way things play out. Here are 10 instances where fan interference affected the outcome of a game. (New York Times)
Magic Mud: Per MLB rules, all baseballs are rubbed with a small amount of mud before being used in a game to help tone down the factory gloss. But not just any mud is good enough; one family has the responsibility of harvesting the approved substance. (Sports Illustrated)
Fans Do Not Live by Peanuts and Crackerjack Alone: $7.18 was the average per-consumer price of a beer at an MLB game in 2024. (The cost varies widely across the country; fans of the Washington Nationals had to shell out an average of just under $15.50 for a beer, while those watching Colorado Rockies games only paid about $3.08. Statista.)
One: Number of baseball fans (on record) whose friend flushed their cremated remains down ballpark toilets across the country. And yes, the departed fan was a plumber. (ESPN)
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