Detroit has called Lakeland its second home for 90 years, making it the longest-standing relationship between a team and its host spring city in the Major Leagues and one of the richest in MLB history.
Although there’s no crying in baseball, here’s how Lakeland and Detroit pitched a tissue-worthy love story.
Lakeland welcomed the Cleveland Indians in spring 1924, launching a partnership that put the city on the map for baseball’s spring training.
Photo via Florida Memory
The Tigers’ local history
1923 | Lakeland’s first love: The Cleveland Indians arrived to train at Henley Field and brought an economic boom to the city. In 1927, the Indians and Lakeland parted ways.
By spring 1937, the Detroit Tigers were no longer just visiting Lakeland — they were building a baseball home.
Photo via Lakeland Public Library
1934 | The meet-cute: Lakeland invited the Detroit Tigers to come train for a year, trying to fill a baseball-sized economic hole in its heart. Before meeting, Detroit had trained at 10 sites. The team ended up signing a 37-year contract to stay in LAL.
1960 | Nuclear family: The Lakeland Flying Tigers were first a love child between Lakeland and Cleveland. In 1963, Detroit added Lakeland to its farming system, changing its name to The Lakeland Tigers.
These 1942 aircraft at the Lodwick School of Aeronautics once occupied the same ground now known for spring training baseball.
Photo via Lakeland Public Library
1966 | Moving in: The Tigers moved into Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, which sat 4,900 people upon opening. Before it was the spring training field for the Detroit Tigers, the land under the stadium was where thousands of pilots across the globe were trained. To pay homage to the original use for the land, the team was renamed the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
2014 | Renewing vows: The Tigers signed on to train in Lakeland for 20 more years, marking what will be a 100-year spring training relationship by 2036. The deal called for a $47 million upgrade for the stadium by the spring of 2017.
2023 | Happily ever after: The Tigers extended their lease through December 2044, and the City of Lakeland approved a $33 million dormitory upgrade for the team. The project will include new team dorms, recreation areas, and a cafeteria; Joker Marchant Stadium will be unaffected.
