Baltimore Orioles will begin 2017 Spring Training season on Feb. 24 in Lakeland

First home game at Ed Smith Stadium set for Feb. 26; finale will be March 30 against Tigers

The Orioles' mascot, Bird, stands under the 'chandelier' in Ed Smith Stadium. File photo
The Orioles’ mascot, Bird, stands under the ‘chandelier’ in Ed Smith Stadium. File photo

The Baltimore Orioles will open their 2017 Grapefruit League schedule on Friday, Feb. 24, with an away game in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers, the team has announced.

Their home opener at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota will follow two days later, on Sunday, Feb. 26, with a 1:05 p.m. game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a news release says. The club’s Grapefruit League season will conclude at Ed Smith Stadium on Thursday, March 30, against the Tigers, the release adds.

The 2017 Spring Training season will mark the eighth consecutive one for the Orioles in Sarasota and the seventh at the renovated Ed Smith Stadium, the release points out. In January, Ed Smith Stadium was named the 2015 Sports Turf Managers Association Field of the Year for professional baseball, “considered the highest honor in the industry,” the release notes.

Baltimore will face eight different Major League opponents during its 17-game home schedule, the release continues. The Orioles will play the Philadelphia Phillies three times at Ed Smith Stadium, and it will play the Boston Red Sox, the Tigers, the Minnesota Twins, the Pirates, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays twice each, the release says. The Orioles also will square off against their division rival the New York Yankees on one occasion in Sarasota — on Monday, Feb. 27, the release notes.

Additionally, as part of the World Baseball Classic exhibition schedule, the Orioles will host the defending champion Dominican Republic team on Tuesday, March 7, the release continues. “In 2013, the Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico to claim the World Baseball Classic crown with a roster featuring several of the Major League’s biggest stars,” the release points out.

Single-game tickets for all 17 games at Ed Smith Stadium will go on sale Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017 at 10 a.m., the release notes. Fans interested in season ticket plans, or those wishing to receive additional Spring Training ticket information, may call the Orioles Spring Training office in Sarasota at 893-6300.

Visit www.orioles.com/spring for more information regarding Orioles Spring Training in Sarasota.

The Orioles have released their full 2017 Spring Training schedule. Image courtesy Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles have released their full 2017 Spring Training schedule. Image courtesy Baltimore Orioles