Six night games are on the schedule among the 31 spring training contests set for Surprise Stadium in February and March.
Major League Baseball released game times for all Cactus League games, which start in Surprise on Friday, Feb. 20 and run through Saturday, March 21.
Most of the Surprise games start at 1:05 p.m., beginning with the opener featuring the two “home” teams, the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals.
Individual game tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at SurpriseStadium.com. Group and season ticket packages are already available.
The first night game comes when the same two teams play at 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, March 5.
Other night games include the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Royals (Friday, March 13), a three-game stretch between Monday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 18 that features the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers and the special Spring Breakout Game on Friday, March 20.
The Spring Breakout Games showcase the future stars of Minor League Baseball. Through 16 exhibition games, each MLB organization fields a team of its top prospects to play against another team of top prospects.
Surprise will host the San Francisco Giants and the Rangers at 5:05 p.m.
The final game of the season is the next day when the Rangers and Royals wrap it up at 12:05 p.m.
Surprise Stadium will also host two World Baseball Classic exhibition games. Team Cuba plays the Royals on Tuesday, March 3, while the Rangers host Team Brazil the next day. Both game start at 1:05 p.m.
All other 13 teams in the Cactus League will make an appearance in Surprise. Highlights include stops by the Chicago Cubs (Monday, Feb. 23 and Tuesday, March 10), Los Angeles Dodgers (Friday, Feb. 28) and San Francisco Giants (Wednesday, March 11).
The city has not yet set up its promotional schedule for the games. Also, the city plans soon to announce more special events and ticket offers.
Visit SurpriseStadium.com for scheduling updates. Call 623-222-2222.
Jason Stone
Senior News Editor | Surprise
Meet Jason
Jason Stone joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2019, after a distinguished three decade media career that included stops at the Arizona Republic, iHeart Media/Clear Channel and Beckett Sports Card magazine. He remembers when airports sold newspapers.
Community: He is a big supporter of the Valley’s original sports team: The Phoenix Suns.
Education: Northern Arizona University with a BS in broadcast journalism and a minor in sports coaching.
Random Fact: The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln.
Hobbies: Surfing, backgammon and men who aren’t afraid to cry.