Zac Gallen started out with a bang, but his nibbling got the best of him and the offense forgot to show up.|| Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
By Russ Wiles || TheArizona Republic
More baseball fans flocked to spring training games around the Valley over the past month, with Cactus League attendance jumping 34% from 2022.
The Major League Baseball exhibition season in Arizona drew an average crowd of 7,221 per game, up from 5,397 in 2022.
The Chicago Cubs were the top draw of the 15 teams hosting games in Maricopa County, averaging 13,770 fans at Sloan Park in Mesa. Next up were the Arizona Diamondbacks, posting an average attendance of 9,517 at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers at 9,229 at Camelback Ranch in Glendale.
The Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians, sharing a ballpark in Goodyear, drew the fewest fans.
The Cubs and San Francisco Giants set a single-game Cactus League record by drawing 16,152 on Feb. 25 at Sloan Park.