Grapefruit League
| File:Grapefruit League.png | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| No. of teams | 15 |
| Countries | United States (14) Canada (1) |
The Grapefruit League is a Spring training league of Major League Baseball that is located in Florida. Unlike the Cactus League, teams in the Grapefruit League have their own stadiums.
Background
The origin of the name "Grapefruit League" has several versions. One popular myth was that Casey Stengel threw a grapefruit at Brooklyn Dodgers manager Wilbert Robinson. The accepted version is that aviator Ruth Law threw the grapefruit. In 1915, Law had been throwing golf balls from her airplane to advertise a golf course. Someone suggested throwing a baseball from her airplane. Robinson, whose team was in the Daytona Beach area for spring training, agreed to try to catch the baseball. Flying 525 feet above Robinson, Law realized she had forgotten her baseball and threw a grapefruit that she had. When Robinson tried to catch it, the grapefruit exploded in his face.[1][2][3]
Teams
The list of spring training locations by team in the Grapefruit League in Florida.[4]
- Atlanta Braves: Champion Stadium at Walt Disney World Lake Buena Vista[5]
- Baltimore Orioles: Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota[6]
- Boston Red Sox: JetBlue Park at Fenway South, Fort Myers[7]
- Detroit Tigers: Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland[8]
- Houston Astros: Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee[9]
- Miami Marlins: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter[10]
- Minnesota Twins: Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers[11]
- New York Mets: Tradition Field, Port St. Lucie[12]
- New York Yankees: George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa[13]
- Philadelphia Phillies: Bright House Field, Clearwater[14]
- Pittsburgh Pirates: McKechnie Field, Bradenton[15]
- St. Louis Cardinals: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter[16]
- Tampa Bay Rays: Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte[17]
- Toronto Blue Jays: Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, Dunedin[18]
- Washington Nationals: Space Coast Stadium, Viera[19]
References
- ^ Gardner, Dakota (March 13, 2014). "The amazing story of 'Uncle Robbie' Robinson's plane-assisted grapefruit catch". mlb.com.
- ^ "Wilbert Robinson". National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- ^ Semchuck, Alex. "Wilbert Robinson". Society for American Baseball Research.
- ^ "Spring Training Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Atlanta Braves Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Boston Red Sox Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Detroit Tigers Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Houston Astros Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Florida Marlins Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Minnesota Twins Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "New York Mets Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "New York Yankees Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Philadelphia Phillies Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "St Louis Cardinals Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Rays Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Toronto Blue Jays Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Washington Nationals Official Website". MLB. Retrieved March 5, 2011.