SALT LAKE CITY – Tickets for the Los Angeles Angels 2016 spring training game in Salt Lake City will go on sale Thursday, August 13 at 10 a.m. The ‘Salt Lake Showdown’ will feature an Angels split-squad traveling to Utah on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 to play the Salt Lake Bees at Smith’s Ballpark. Game time is tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. (MT) with gates opening early for fans to watch batting practice and drills.
Tickets start as low as $10 and can be purchased at www.slbees.com with no online fees, by phone at (801) 355-SEAT or in person at the Smith’s Ballpark box office. A limited number of pre-sale packages, which include a ticket to the Spring Training game as well as a ticket to a 2015 Bees home game starting at $20, go on sale Wednesday, August 5 at 10 a.m. Pre-sale packages are only available online at www.slbees.com.
“This is an incredible opportunity for baseball fans in Utah,” Bees General Manager Marc Amicone said. “We look forward to hosting some former Bees that have gone on to become Major League stars with Angels.”
The Bees are the Angels’ longest-tenured Triple-A affiliate in franchise history, spanning the past 15 years. The Bees have helped produce stars like 2014 AL MVP and 2012 Rookie of the Year Mike Trout, three-time All-Star Jered Weaver, 2014 AL All-Star Erick Aybar, Garrett Richards and Kole Calhoun, among others. Salt Lake was also the final stop for Chone Figgins, Jose Molina, and John Lackey prior to playing for the Angels in the 2002 World Series. At this time, 33 Angels on the current 40-man roster have appeared with the Salt Lake Bees during their career.
The Salt Lake franchise has hosted two Major League vs. Minor League exhibition games in its history. On June 15, 1995 the Salt Lake Buzz beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3, despite a 2-for-2 performance from future Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. On May 13, 1999 the Twins defeated the Buzz 10-9. Corey Koskie hit a pair of two-run home runs and Torii Hunter went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the visiting Twins, while the Buzz were led by future Major League stars David Ortiz (1-for-4, RBI) and A.J. Pierzynski (2-for-4, RBI).
Salt Lake last hosted a Major League exhibition game on March 30, 2013 when the Colorado Rockies played the Seattle Mariners at Smith’s Ballpark. A sellout crowd of 15,411 saw the Mariners win 4-3.
For the upcoming Pioneer Day holiday weekend, the Bees return home for a four-game series against El Paso with fireworks shows on July 24 and 25. Tickets and promotional information for all Salt Lake Bees games are available at www.slbees.com.
