The Early Years
Late 1800s – early 1900s – Baseball has deep roots in Arizona. Soldiers posted to the Southwest formed teams at the company level after the Civil War. By the 1890s, local non-military teams were playing each other on a fairly regular basis as reported in newspapers.
1914 – The Chicago White Sox play an exhibition game in Mesa and consider Arizona as a potential spring training site.
1920s – Banned “Black Sox” players like Chick Gandil, Hal Chase, and Buck Weaver continue playing baseball in Arizona’s local leagues.
1921 – Mesa Ball Park (later Rendezvous Park) opens with a church league game; it eventually hosts spring training for MLB teams.
1929 – The Detroit Tigers become the first MLB team to officially train in Arizona, playing two spring games in Phoenix.
1937 – Tucson’s Randolph Park is rebuilt by the WPA; it later becomes Hi Corbett Field, home of the Indians.
1939 – Buckhorn Baths opens in Mesa and later becomes the spring headquarters for the New York Giants.
1942 – Chicago Cubs officials visit Mesa to discuss potential spring training relocation.
1943–1945 – World War II restrictions prevent teams from training in the West, halting Arizona’s spring activity.
1947 – The Cleveland Indians and New York Giants begin training in Tucson and Phoenix, launching the Cactus League.
1948 – Larry Doby becomes the first African American to spring train in Arizona, breaking the AL’s color barrier.
October 1948 – The Indians win the World Series, becoming the first Cactus League team to do so.
1951 – The New York Yankees briefly train in Phoenix; DiMaggio and Mantle headline the team.
October 1951 – The Yankees win the World Series after training in Arizona.
1952 – The Chicago Cubs move spring training to Mesa’s Rendezvous Park.
1954 – The Orioles train in Yuma, making Arizona a four-team Cactus League and giving the league its name.
October 1954 – The Giants sweep the Indians in the first all-Cactus League World Series. Willie Mays makes his iconic catch.
1959 – The Boston Red Sox train in Scottsdale. Ted Williams joins the team for his final two springs.
1964 – The Giants move into Phoenix Municipal Stadium II, a modern facility near Legend City.
1965 – The Red Sox and Cubs leave Arizona, leaving just two Cactus League teams.
1966 – Scottsdale and Mesa are without teams; Mesa’s Dwight Patterson laments the Cubs’ departure.
1967 – The Cubs return to Arizona, now training in Scottsdale.
Late 1960s – Gov. Sam Goddard creates the Arizona Baseball Commission to support spring training; Patterson chairs.
1969 – Three teams join:
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Oakland A’s (Mesa)
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San Diego Padres (Yuma)
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Seattle Pilots (Tempe)
1970 – The Pilots become the Milwaukee Brewers but continue spring training in Arizona.
1972 – A two-week strike delays the regular season.
The A’s begin their run of three straight World Series titles while training in Mesa.
1977 – Hohokam Stadium opens in Mesa; the A’s move in.
The Mariners debut in Tempe and sign a long-term deal.
1980 – The Cactus League grows to eight teams. Another labor dispute disrupts spring training.
1980s – Spring training stabilizes; Arizona invests in modern ballparks to compete with Florida.
Early 1990s – The Indians leave for Florida; the Rockies replace them in Tucson.
Late 1990s – The Arizona Diamondbacks launch and train in Tucson with the White Sox.
2016 – The Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years. Their Cactus League opponent, the Cleveland Indians, also trained in Arizona.
Today – The Cactus League hosts 15 teams. In recent years, most World Series contenders—and several champions—have started their season under the Arizona sun.