Minor league baseball draws 103,483 for 47 games in return

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Minor league baseball drew 103,483 fans for 47 games on its opening day after missing the 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The largest crowd Tuesday was 5,004 for the Tulsa Drillers’ 4-3 loss to Amarillo in the Double-A Central.

All four Double-A South games were postponed by rain. The Triple-A West schedule does not start until Thursday.

The 176 minor league teams drew 41,504,077 in 2019, up 2.6% from 40,450,337 in 2018, and the ninth-highest total in minor league history. The 4,044 average increased 2.1% over 2018’s 3,960.

Major League Baseball eliminated the separate governing body of minor league baseball and cut affiliations from 160 to 120 this season.

US men’s soccer to play Costa Rica in June 9 exhibition

CHICAGO – The U.S. men’s soccer team will play Costa Rica in an exhibition on June 9 at Sandy, Utah, the Americans’ fourth match in an 11-day span designed to simulate the compacted World Cup qualifying schedule.

The team gathers in Europe and starts the run of games on May 30 with a friendly against Switzerland in St. Gallen.

The Americans then play Honduras on June 3 at Denver in the semifinal of the first CONCACAF Nations League, their first competitive match since beating Cuba 4-0 in the Nations League group stage on Nov. 19, 2019.

The Nations League championship or third-place match, against Mexico or Costa Rica, will be at Denver on June 6.

The friendly match against Costa Rica was announced Thursday.