Cactus League Opening Day 2024
My original intent for this post was to be about attending the Opening Day of the 2024 Cactus League season at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, AZ. The game was played between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
I will have to spend some time on planning out this and all subsequent posts about the Cactus League games that I attended.
Meanwhile, you can read my previous post about the Cactus League at the following link. Think of that post as more of an introduction about the Cactus League.
All About the Peoria Sports Complex
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| Welcome to Spring Training 2025. (Photo by me.) |
In my previous
post about the Cactus League, I created a map depicting the locations of the various Cactus League stadiums to be found throughout
Maricopa County, AZ. Actually, I'm quite proud of how both the map and table I created for that particular post turned out. Since I currently live in the
Sun City-
Peoria, AZ area, the closest Cactus League stadium to me is the
Peoria Sports Complex.
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| Map of the Peoria Sports Complex |
In no particular order, here is an info dump about the Peoria Sports Complex. (Note: I have wracked my brain over the past several weeks trying to come up with a way to structure and organize all of this information. I can't seem to figure out a way to do either. For now, it is what it is.)
.jpg "Welcome to Peoria Stadium. (Photo by me.)") |
| Welcome to Peoria Stadium. (Photo by me.) |
As I mentioned in my previous post about the Cactus League in Arizona, the San Diego Padres of the National League and the Seattle Mariners of the American League are the two main joint tenants of the Peoria Sports Complex. Based upon my research, both teams have an agreement with the City of Peoria, AZ to use the Peoria Sports Complex for Spring Training games until the year 2034. As a result, if you a fan of either team or you live in the Sun City/Peoria/Glendale, AZ area, you can relax.
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| San Diego Padres Team Logo |
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| Seattle Mariners Team Logo |
The Peoria Sports Complex is the main venue for Spring Training games for Major League Baseball in Peoria, AZ. While the Padres and the Mariners share the use of the stadium for games, including playing each other, each team has their own separate administrative offices, training facilities, practice fields, and clubhouses at the Peoria Sports Complex. In fact, they even have their own separate parking lots for the public to use.
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| Padres and Mariners logos on road barriers. (Photo by me.) |
In addition to the Padres and the Mariners, there are other tenants of the Peoria Sports Complex. They include the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League. Previous tenants have included the Peoria Saguaros (Note: The Peoria Saguaros are now known as the Surprise Saguaros.), the Sun City Solar Fox (Note: The Sun City Solar Fox are now known as the Mesa Solar Fox), and professional soccer team Phoenix Rising FC in the USL Championship. When the Phoenix Rising were playing at the Peoria Sports Complex, they were known as Arizona United SC.
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| Peoria Javelinas Team Logo |
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| Surprise Saguaros Team Logo |
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| Arizona United SC Team Logo |
Curiously, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Japanese Professional Baseball used the Peoria Sports Complex for Spring Training during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, while Shohei Ohtani was still with the team.
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| Nippon-Ham Fighters Team Logo |
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| Nippon-Ham Fighters participating in a practice game at Peoria Sports Complex. |
With Cactus League baseball games typically ending in late March, the City of Peoria does hold other events throughout the year at the Peoria Sports Complex in addition to sporting events. For additional information, I would recommend visiting the website for the Peoria Sports Complex itself.
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| Seattle Mariners banner. (Photo by me.) |
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| San Diego Padres banner. (Photo by me.) |
Architecture firm Populous Holdings, Inc. designed the Peoria Sports Complex. The facility was formally opened on February 26, 1994. The complex cost a total of $32 million to build. The construction cost of the stadium itself was $7.7 million. The stadium at the Peoria Sports Complex seats a total of 11,333 spectators.
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| Map of the Baseball Stadium at the Peoria Sports Complex. |
Seating at Peoria Sports Complex
The Peoria Sports Complex seats a total 12,518 spectators. I am not too sure if that number refers to the total number of seats available as spectators are allowed to sit on the grass along the outfield fence. According to the Peoria Sports Complex website, sitting on the grass is considered its own seating area separate from the main seating area. Just be aware of this distinction should you decide to order tickets for a game online at either the website for the Peoria Sports Complex or the website for Major League Baseball. Once you order your ticket(s) online, you will have to download the MLS app onto your cellphone to access your ticket(s) on game day.
Here is a further breakdown for seating at the Peoria Sports Complex:
- Infield box seats: 1,420
- Outfield box seats: 1,454
- Upper box seats: 2,803
- Club seats: 252
- Bleachers: 1,728
- Accessible seating: 176
- Lawn seating: 3,000
- Standing Room Only: 500
- Practice fields: 100-seat and 250-seat bleachers
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| Looking out from behind home plate. (Photo by me.) |
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| The view toward home plate from The Pavilion. (Photo by me.) |
Location, Location, Location
The Peoria Sports Complex is located at 16101 N 83rd Ave, Peoria, AZ 85382. The stadium is close to boundary line Peoria shares with nearby Glendale, AZ. The Peoria Sports Complex is located in what is known as P83, which stands for Peoria and 83rd Ave. P83 is designed to be an entertainment area. P83 consists of numerous national chain restaurants, a 14-screen movie theatre, and several mid-budget hotels. The P83 area bleeds over to the Arrowhead Towne Center shopping area in Glendale. The boundaries for Peoria and Glendale in the P83 are definitely murky. It really is one of those situations where you could be standing in, say, Glendale, cross the street, and then you would be in Peoria without even realizing it.
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| Map of the Peoria Sports Complex Area and the P83 Entertainment District. |
For parking your car at the stadium, there are two parking lots. The west parking lot (aka the Mariners Lot) is right along North 83rd Ave. The parking lot is roughly located between the intersections of Bell Road and North 83rd Ave in the north and Thunderbird Ave and North 83rd Ave in the south. The west parking lot (aka the Padres Lot) is located east of the stadium along West Paradise Lane. It's located just east of the intersection for North 83rd Ave and West Paradise Lane. Of the two parking lots, the Mariners Lot has more parking spaces than the Padres Lot. Additionally, there are three entrances for the Peoria Sports Complex available from the Mariners Lot. If you park your car at the Padres Lot, there is only one entrance into the stadium, which is located behind center field. The first time I went to a baseball game at Peoria Sports Complex, I didn't do my research before getting in the car, so I ended up parking over at the P83 entertainment district and walking across North 83rd Ave to get to the stadium. On subsequent visits to the Peoria Sports Complex, I have parked my car in either the Mariners Lot or the Padres Lot without too much trouble. Since the Padres Lot is the smaller parking lot of the two, parking can be a little tight depending on who is playing.
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| Parking Lots at Peoria Sports Complex |
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| Walking through the Mariners Lot to the main entrance. (Photo by me.) |
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| At the main entrance to the Peoria Sports Complex. (Photo by me.) |
Food and Drink
For food and drink during Cactus League baseball games, the City of Peoria has obviously put some effort into serving more than just your typical American food that has been standard culinary fare at baseball stadiums around the United States for decades. If typical baseball park food is what you crave, you can most certainly get hot dogs, hamburgers, salted or unsalted pretzels with cheese, popcorn, ice cream, and various kinds of candy. On the other hand, there are some intriguing options to try out. For example, you could try getting the Padres Dog, which is a variation of the Sonoran Hot Dog with ground up chorizo sausage, chopped Jalapeno pieces, cotija cheese, and salsa verde on a foot long hot dog. I managed to get my hands on a Padres Dog on my very first visit to the Peoria Sports Complex. I was impressed. Just know that the Padres Dog goes fast when it's available. If the Padres Dog isn't available, then you might want to ask the people working at the concession stand. However, if the Padres Dog isn't available, you can also try the Mariner Dog, which consists of cream cheese, bell peppers, and onions. However, like the Padres Dog, the Mariner Dog is a popular food item to get. I have eaten both hot dogs. Of the two, I prefer the Padres Dog. Hands down. If either the Padres Dog or the Mariners Dog aren't available (or you don't want to wait), then you can always get the plain foot long hot dog. While not as exciting as either the Padres Dog or the Mariners Dog, it's still really good. You can get the Padres Dog or the Mariners Dog at any of the concession stands as you pass through the three main entrances next to the Mariners Lot.
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| The Padres Dog in all its glory. (Photo by me.) |
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| Bratwurst from a seller near the center field entrance. (Photo by me.) |
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| Unsalted pretzel with cheese. (Photo by me.) |
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| Standing in the concession stand line with Mariners fans. (Photo by me.) |
If you aren't in mood for typical baseball stadium food, well, guess what? You are in luck. The City of Peoria also invites a variety of local food vendors to sell all kinds of food not sold at the three big concession stands. I suppose you could say that these food vendors are the Peoria equivalent to street food. These food vendors are located at the following places around the stadium:
- There are food vendors in the area along the third base side just past the Team Store.
- There are food vendors in the area near the children's play area known as The Cove along left field.
- There are food vendors behind left field in an area known as The Pavilion near the scoreboard. The Pavilion is supposed to be an outdoor beer garden under a very large tent.
- There are food vendors near the entrance behind center field. In fact, the last time I was at Peoria Sports Complex there was a food vendor that served an awesome bratwurst that was worth the $15 I spent.
- There are also food vendors along the first base side as you walk toward the seating area.
As if all of those options weren't enough, there is even a restaurant with an outdoor patio along the third base side of the stadium. If you sit inside the restaurant, there are plenty of TVs showing the game. As for the food inside the restaurant, I cannot tell you if it is any good or not. However, the restaurant does look nice, and the patio does have a good view of the field.
For prices, food can be expensive. If I remember correctly, the Padres Dog or the Mariners Dog will set you back $17, for example. I think that the rather large, salted pretzel with cheese was between $10 to $12. Just know that if you decide to eat at the stadium, you will end up spending some money.
If you don't want to eat at the stadium, within the past year or so, three restaurants opened just beyond the entrance gate behind center field. Those restaurants are
Blanco Cocina + Cantina (Mexican),
Postino Peoria (Italian), and
North Italia (Italian). I haven't eaten at any of the restaurants, but they sure do look nice from the outside. According to Google Maps, each restaurant costs between $20-$30 per person. The City of Peoria refers to this as area as
Enclave at Arrowhead. Of course, you can always go to
P83 across the street from the Peoria Sports Complex for something to eat. Most are national chain restaurants, such as
P.F. Chang's,
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill,
Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que,
Abuelo's Mexican Restaurant,
Texas Roadhouse, and
The Cheesecake Factory.
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| Blanco Cocina + Cantina (Photo by me.) |
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| Postino Peoria (Photo by me.) |
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| North Italia (Photo by me.) |
An Important Word About Beer
Now, for a very important matter: BEER. For beer connoisseurs like me, there is A LOT to like about the selection of beer available at the Peoria Sports Complex during Cactus League games. Yes, you can get beer from the big brewers, such as Michelob Ultra and Coors Light. However, if you like craft beer, then there is definitely A LOT to like. Some of the beers available during Cactus League games at the Peoria Sports Complex are from breweries local to Maricopa County, such as Hop Knot IPA, Kilt Lifter, and WOW Wheat by Four Peaks Brewing in Tempe, AZ. All three beers are excellent. The Hop Knot IPA and Kilt Lifter are personal favorites. Other beers available throughout the stadium that I remember include 805 by Firestone Walker Brewing, Kona Big Wave by Kona Brewing, and Dos Equis Lager Especial. There are several other beers available. As if that wasn't enough, there is the Samuel Adams beer garden, called Sammy's on Third Terrace, located on the upper deck along the third base side. The beer garden primarily serves the Samuel Adams' American Light beer. Then, there are two additional beer gardens in the left and right field areas in the outfield. The Pavilion is located behind left field near the scoreboard. It has a big tent, so you can't miss it. The staff at the Pavilion serves the beer available elsewhere throughout the stadium. Meanwhile, in the right field area, there is The Deck, another beer garden. The Deck is quite smaller than the Pavillion and doesn't have a tent. However, The Deck does provide shade. The Deck offered two beers from Pizza Port Brewing in San Diego, CA, California Honey Blonde Ale and Chronic Ale Amber Ale. While I don't remember if I ever tried the California Honey Blonde Ale, I could DEFINITELY say that the Chronic Ale Amber Ale is a GREAT beer. The Deck also served a couple of beers from Stone Brewing, a famous brewery from the Escondido, CA area. Depending on the beer that you buy, beer prices range anywhere from $13 to $18 per beer. Beers at the Peoria Sports Complex tend to be large, 22-25 ounces per can, so you get your money's worth.
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| Pizza Port Brewing Company at The Deck. (Photo by me.) |
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| Chronic Ale from Pizza Port Brewing. (Photo by me.) |
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| Sammy's on Third after a game. (Photo by me.) |
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| A 22oz can of Wow Wheat Beer from Four Peaks Brewing. |
Shopping for Souvenirs
The Team Store is basically the souvenir shop for both the Mariners and the Padres. Its located just inside the main entrance if you park in the Mariners Lot along North 83rd Ave. Inside the Team Store, you can find all kinds of Spring Training souvenirs for both teams, such as baseball caps, replica jerseys, lanyards, polo shirts, key chains, toothbrushes, and a whole lot more. Depending on what you buy, prices can be expensive. This year, I bought a replica Padres hat and a Cactus League T-shirt. The price of the replica hat was close to $40, while the price for the Cactus League T-shirt had to be at least $50. I thought about getting either a Manny Machado or Fernando Tatis replica jersey. I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that the price for a replica jersey was over $100. I wanted to buy an official Padres Cactus League 2025 hat for $45. The hats looked great, a pale yellow with brown details. Unfortunately, my head was too big, despite trying on a 7 5/8 hat size. Just note that the Team Store can get rather crowded prior to the start of a game. I have seen long lines of people waiting to get into the Team Store. If you want to buy a souvenir but don't want to wait in line to get in, then you can buy souvenirs elsewhere around the stadium. In fact, there is another souvenir store near the center field entrance behind the scoreboard. The is also a much smaller souvenir stand just past the concession stands on the first base side of the stadium.
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| Souvenir Padres hat and Cactus League shirt. (Photo by me.) |
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| Padres Spring Training 2025 souvenir shirt. (Photo by me.) |
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| Souvenir stand near center field entrance. (Photo by me.) |
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| Limited edition San Diego Padres gear for St Patrick's Day. (Photo by me.) |
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| Limited edition San Diego Padres baseball cap for Spring Training 2025. (Photo by me.) |
Attendance Figures
Attendance figures for Cactus League games at the Peoria Sports Complex can be tricky to find on the internet. After an exhaustive search on the internet, I did manage to find some attendance figures. According to the City of Peoria, for 2025, there were a total of
31 Cactus League games played at the Peoria Sports Complex, with one rainout. A grand total of
212,514 spectators watched both the Padres, and the Mariners play at the Peoria Sports Complex. Each game played by either the Padres or the Mariners had an
average attendance of 6,855 spectators. According to the Cactus League's website, a grand total of
1.6 million fans attended Spring Training games throughout Maricopa County for 2025.
Out of the 15 Major League Baseball teams that play Cactus League games in Maricopa County, which team attracts the most spectators? Well, I was surprised by the results. According to attendance statistics from 2024, the Chicago Cubs are the most popular Cactus League team with a total of 241,215 spectators. According to a statistic I found, the Chicago Cubs have had the highest attendance in the Cactus League for the past eleven years. Maricopa County's own Major League Baseball franchise, the Arizona Diamondbacks, had the second highest attendance with a total of 199,781 spectators. In third place were the San Francisco Giants with a total of 130,868 spectators. Surprisingly, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the fourth highest attendance with 121,638 spectators. And where were the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres in terms of attendance? The Seattle Mariners were the seventh most popular team to watch in the Cactus League with a total 2024 attendance of 102,209 spectators. As for the San Diego Padres, they finished last with a total of 62,450 spectators. That statistic was a definite surprise. Why the San Diego Padres have the lowest attendance in the Cactus League is beyond me.
A Quick Word about Populous
As mentioned above, Kansas City, MO-based architecture firm Populous Architects designed the Peoria Sports Complex. Going through their corporate webpage, you quickly realize that Populous Architects have carved out a niche in designing sports stadiums around the world. They have definitely set the standard in designing sports stadiums. Populous Architects have also designed some rather famous concert arenas, such as the Sphere in Las Vegas, NV.
As a former Baltimore area resident for nearly six years, I did not know that Populous designed BOTH the critically acclaimed Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M and T Bank Stadium for the Baltimore Ravens. Populous also designed the new Yankee Stadium in New York City, Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., PETCO Park in San Diego, CA, and Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA, among various other completed sports stadiums. Recent projects of note designed by Populous include the ultra-modern Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and the iconic Sphere performance venue in Las Vegas, NV.
Not only has Populous Architects designed other Cactus League stadiums in Maricopa County, they have also designed several notable buildings in the Phoenix, AZ area that aren't sports stadiums.
UPDATE #1: For whatever reason, I seem to have hit a bad case of writer's block for this post. I will have to re-read and decide on how to repair this post.
UPDATE #2: I am not happy with how this post is turning out. Too much stream-of-thought and not enough planning. There should be a bulleted list in the post. The section about the Populous architecture firm should include a table. Oh, well. It's back to the drawing board.
UPDATE #3: This morning, I sat down at my desk and brainstormed some ideas on how to redesign and restructure this post. I think I have found a way forward. Let's see how I can save this post.
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| Brainstorming on how to rewrite this post. |
.jpg "Welcome to Peoria Stadium. (Photo by me.)")
