Watch Commissioner Joe Barbetta throw out first pitch during Sarasota Day at Camden Yards in Baltimore

Sarasota baseball has been a tradition since 1924. It's a part of our past - and our future.

Sarasota Baseball
Baseball has been a year-round tradition in Sarasota for players and spectators since 1924. It began when Sarasota built its first spring training stadium, Payne Park, and John Ringling helped recruit the New York Giants to hold spring training here. Over the years, major and minor leagues have held spring training seasons downtown and developed rising talent at Twin Lakes Park Complex throughout the year.

Sarasota is proud of its baseball tradition, which draws tourists and bonds generations of baseball fans. The sport is also an economic engine, driving both professional league fans and amateur players to visit the area. In 2010, the tradition will continue as the Baltimore Orioles kick off their inaugural spring training season in Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium.

Built in 1989 and named after tireless Sarasota Sports Committee President Ed Smith, the Sports Complex and Ed Smith Stadium are one of the most utilized public facilities in Sarasota County. The 53-acre venue also is the site of numerous youth athletic events, clinics, festivals, circuses, car shows and television broadcasts year-round.
 

The Baltimore Orioles baseball team was established in 1953 in Baltimore, Maryland. The team is a member of the American League’s Eastern Division, and it plays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Sarasota’s partnership with the Orioles marks the beginning of a long-term agreement which will include renovations to the Ed Smith Stadium on 12th Street. The Orioles will continue to use Twin Lakes Park for their minor league spring training and plan to establish a Cal Ripken Youth Baseball Academy there. Cal Ripken Jr., known as baseball’s “iron man,” is the O’s all-time leader in home runs, RBIs, hits and double plays, and holds baseball’s record of 2,632 consecutive games played.