Baseball fans are at a fever pitch in Palm Beach County.
The brand new Ballpark of the Palm Beaches is set to kick off a new era of spring training in the area.
“A lot of hustle, lot of effort, lot of coordination that's all gone into getting us ready for February 28th,” said Ballpark of the Palm Beaches General Manager Brady Ballard.
Crews worked in the heat Wednesday to have the stadium ready for opening day.
Even Ballard said it's been a grueling pace. “The hours have been excessive, I'm sure the workers would tell you that.
“There's been over 700 workers on site for the last couple months. So it's a fast and furious finish.”
He said they should be ready for that first pitch in less than two weeks.
In addition to the Astros and Nationals, the Braves expressed interest in making Palm Beach County home, before negotiations fell through.
Commission Hal Valeche says while the county only contributed bed tax dollars to the new stadium, the Braves facility would've required more.
“We don't want to tap the taxpayers of Palm Beach County, and the only alternative was to do that,” he said.
Commissioner Valeche says he's disappointed, but it doesn't mean more deals aren't on the horizon. “We've got a pretty willing number of teams that would like to come here, if we can find a way to do it financially.”
First pitch is set for the February 28th at 1:05 between the Astros and the Nationals.
Tickets are still available - for more info visithere.
