5 Things to Know About MLB Spring Training
1. Origins
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Playing exhibition games in warmer climates during the winter and early spring days of MLB is nearly as old as the game itself. The Philidelphia Phillies were the first team to play a game in the state of Florida. The club spent two weeks there in Jacksonville in 1889. The beginning of the modern coined “Grapefruit League” came about in 1914 when the Cubs, Indians and two other clubs took to playing spring ball in the Sunshine State.
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The story behind Cactus League play is a bit more intriguing. Integral baseball personality Bill Veeck had his minor league Milwaukee Brewers training in Ocala, FL, in 1945. According to his autobiography, he un-knowingly sat in the colored persons section at a segregated game. After breaking into conversation with some spectators, local law enforcement informed him he could not sit there. Veeck refused to move and an argument broke out, culminating in the officers phoning the mayor. Veeck got the mayor to back down when he threatened to take his team elsewhere for spring training games and otherwise let the whole country know why he made that decision.
In 1946 after selling the Brewers and retiring to his ranch in Tucson, AZ, Veeck bought the Cleveland Indians and decided to hold spring training games there to avoid the racial injustices he experienced while in Florida. He persuaded the New York Giants to join him there, berthing the Cactus League. Veeck then went on to sign outfielder Larry Doby, who was only the second Black player to play MLB in the 20th century.