Cleveland indians manager Terry Francona to host Phoenix-area nonprofits, first responders at Tribe Spring Training complex
Groups will shag fly balls during Indians big-league batting practice at Indians Player Development Complex, receive tickets to games at Goodyear Ballpark; Goodyear Little League players will visit complex Saturday, March 7
Goodyear, AZ-Indians Manager Terry Francona will play host to five nonprofit or first responder groups over the final month of Spring Training as a way to show his appreciation for the groups' efforts in their respective fields.
Goodyear Little League baseball players will be first to visit Indians camp on Saturday, March 7, followed by members of the Goodyear Fire Department, Luke Air Force Base, Goodyear Police Department and the Wounded Warrior Project.
Each group's participants will visit camp in the morning and either watch Indians Major League players take batting practice - or, if they choose, they can shag fly balls during BP with Tribe players. BP typically begins around 10:30AM.
Later, each group will receive tickets to that day's game at Goodyear Ballpark on behalf of Francona, who also consistently plays host to similar groups at Progressive Field during the summer months.
"I love to recognize groups like these and this is a cool way to do it," Francona said. "This is one small way we can give back to the community and we're happy to."
The complete schedule of group visits includes:
- Goodyear Little League: Saturday, March 7
- Goodyear Fire Department: Friday, March 13
- Luke Air Force Base: Saturday, March 21
- Goodyear Police Department: TBD
- Wounded Warrior Project: TBD