NewsBucs announce Spring Training schedule
Pirates will play 16 of 33 contests at McKechnie Field
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
11/11/09 12:38 PM EST
PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates have released their 2010 Spring Training schedule, which is highlighted by two home games each against the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies.Pittsburgh's 33-game slate includes 16 home contests at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla. The first of those home affairs will come on March 2 as the Pirates play their annual charity exhibition game against State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, formerly known as Manatee Community College.
The club's Grapefruit League schedule will begin the following day with a 1:05 p.m. ET game against the Yankees in Tampa, Fla. That game against New York is one of three consecutive road games the Pirates will play before the team opens up its Grapefruit League home schedule against the Phillies on Saturday, March 6.
The only night game on the Pirates' home schedule comes on March 10 when the Pirates host the Orioles at 7:05 p.m. ET. That visit will be Baltimore's first to McKechnie Field since 1993. The Orioles have spent the last 14 springs training in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but have since moved to Sarasota, Fla., to take over the Spring Training facility recently vacated by the Reds.
The Pirates will actually end Spring Training in Philadelphia next April and not in Bradenton. The Pirates and Phillies, who will face each other four times during the Grapefruit League season, will play exhibition games at Citizens Bank Park on April 2 and 3. The Pirates will then travel back to Pittsburgh, where they open the regular season against the Dodgers on April 5.
Other notable spring dates have also been released by the Pirates. Pitchers and catchers are required to report to Pirate City in Bradenton by Wednesday, Feb. 17, with the first workout scheduled for the following day at noon ET.
Position players must report on or before Monday, Feb. 22. Manager John Russell will then hold the club's first full-squad workout on Feb. 23, at 9 a.m. ET.
The Pirates also released Spring Training ticket information on Wednesday. Season-ticket packages, which range in price from $142-$232, go on sale next Monday. Select two-game packages that include tickets to either a home game against the Yankees or Red Sox will be available for purchase from Jan 16-19, 2010. Individual-game tickets will be on sale beginning 10 a.m. ET on Jan. 23.
Additional details on ticket prices, plans and purchase dates can be found on www.pirates.com.
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
