Phillies Beat Yankees at First Spring Training Game in Clearwater

CLEARWATER - Charlie Manuel, the manager of the Phillies, remarked earlier this year that the Phillies “owe the Yankees one.” On March 4th, exactly four months to the day the Yankees won the 2009 World Series, the Phillies had a chance to have their “payback” with their first spring training game of the year at Bright House Field in Clearwater.

At a sold-out game, the Phillies got their revenge, beating the Yankees in a 3-2 victory. New pitcher Roy Halliday easily proved himself the star of the game, throwing 24 pitches in two innings, 21 of them being strikes.

Each year, while the northern states have yet to experience the thaw of spring, Major League Baseball heads south, with fifteen teams setting up camp in the Sunshine State, forming The Grapefruit League. The other fifteen Major League Baseball teams train in Arizona, forming The Cactus League.

Perhaps there's something in the waters of Tampa Bay, because in the past two years, all three teams to compete in the World Series have called the greater Tampa area home, whether it be part time or full time. The Philadelphia Phillies have been training in Clearwater since 1947; the New York Yankees train in Steinbrenner Field in Tampa; and the Tampa Bay Rays trained in St. Pete since the team's inception until recently when they switched to Port Charlotte. The Rays, however, call Tampa Bay home any time of the year. The Toronto Blue Jays are the additional Major League Baseball team to hold spring training in the Pinellas/Hillsborough area.

The Phillies will play the Yankees on March 8th and again on 26th in Tampa, and on March 17th and 22nd in Clearwater.

For more information and tickets, visit phillies.mlb.com.

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