The defending American League West champion Texas Rangers defeated the reigning American League champion Cleveland Indians 8-4 at the H-E-B Big League Weekend inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Now in its fifth year, Big League Weekend continues to attract large crowds to the two-day spring training exhibition. This year, 49,926 fans attended both games.
For Major League players, spring training can become monotonous. Six weeks of practice, afternoon games almost every day, and bus rides from stadium to stadium get old pretty quickly. A weekend trip to San Antonio provides players a chance to cool off in the air-conditioned Alamodome and get away from the blistering heat of the Arizona Cactus League.
“I really didn’t think I would have a chance to come here and play, especially baseball,” left handed pitcher and San Antonio native Boone Logan said. “I heard that we were playing here for a couple of games and I was like ‘I’m definitely making the trip.’ I knew it meant a lot to a lot of people that I grew up with and people who I know here in the area that never really had a chance to come see me play in other places. It’s important for me to be here.”
Both teams playing at Big League Weekend look poised for playoff runs again this upcoming season. The Indians, who were a game away from beating the Chicago Cubs in the World Series last year, are the clear favorite in the American League Central and possibly in the entire American League. The Rangers, meanwhile, are in a tougher American League West, where the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners will challenge them for the division crown. This match-up in San Antonio could easily be seen again in late October.
Because of the World Baseball Classic going on at the same time, many stars from both teams are out representing their country. However, fans still saw a good game that featured four home runs by Rangers minor league players. For outsiders looking in, spring training may not matter, but for those fighting for a roster spot, it means everything.
Big League Weekend showcases the city of San Antonio’s capability of hosting Major League Baseball. The Spurs remain the only professional team in San Antonio, but the city continually hosts big events that draw big crowds. The Valero Alamo Bowl annually hosts more than 60,000 college football fans, the Spurs sell out on a nearly nightly basis with an average attendance of 18,424, and next year San Antonio will host the the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Final Four. The 28, 674 fans at Saturday’s game would have put San Antonio ahead of 15 current cities with major league teams, including Cleveland, based on 2016 average attendance. And, that’s only for a spring training game. Pretty soon, Major League Baseball may be in San Antonio for more than just a weekend.