'BASEBALL'S BACK:' Spring training returns to Southwest Florida

LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Spring training has officially returned to Southwest Florida, drawing thousands of baseball fans to stadiums across the region during the first weekend of games.

The Minnesota Twins hosted the Boston Red Sox on Saturday at Hammond Stadium in Lee County, while the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Atlanta Braves in Charlotte County.

"It's opening day, Southwest Florida, it's baseball season," said Michael Martin, a Red Sox fan who attended the game in Lee County. "Come on! Doesn't get any better than this!"

A study published in 2019 found that spring training generates $69 million in Lee County alone. Fans traveled from across the country to get a taste of the sunshine.

WFTX

Sandy and Timothy Johnson of Minnesota said they have attended Twins spring training for the last 40 years.

"Gorgeous weather," Sandy Johnson said. "It's 14 degrees back home, so we're watching the Twins!"

Plenty of Red Sox fans were also at Hammond Stadium on Saturday. Boston plays just down the road at JetBlue Park.

"It's nice that people came out to support," Twins fan Kayde Clampitt said. "Shows that they're true fans."

WFTX

The Red Sox defeated the Twins 7-2, while the Braves beat the Rays 5-1.

"Baseball's back and I love it," Red Sox fan Robert Sirois said. "I'm a huge, huge sports fan of all kinds of sports but baseball is a special, special part of my heart for me."

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.