Mesa celebrates the culmination of a successful 2024 Spring Training season with the Chicago Cubs leading attendance across the Cactus League. A total of 241,215 fans passed through the gates of Sloan Park between Feb. 23 and March 26, averaging 13,401 fans at the 18 games played there. The Oakland As saw 63,893 fans pass through the gates of HoHoKam Stadium, averaging 5,324 fans at 12 games. The rainy days in March impacted the As, who lost two games due to the weather. More than 1.6 million baseball fans attended 216 games across the Cactus League this year.
Spring training is like a second Christmas to Mesa with the fans who support the teams and enjoy our hotels, restaurants, bars and stores, said Mayor John Giles. The 30 games played here by the Cubs and As generated nearly 20% of the entire Cactus League attendance, which is huge. People love coming to Mesa to enjoy spring baseball and all the City has to offer.
The City works closely with the Cubs and As not just during spring training but throughout the year, and they continue to appreciate the partnership with Mesa in not only providing the best-in-class training facilities for their players but also first-class experiences for the fans attending the games, said Marc Heirshberg, Deputy City Manager.
Both the Cubs and As used 2024 to mark their 10th season playing in their respective facilities.