MLB spring training games to start on March 1

NEW YORK (AP) Major League Baseball's spring training is slated to start when the Philadelphia Phillies host the University of Tampa on March 1 in Clearwater, Florida.

There will be a pair of games involving college teams the following day, with the Miami Marlins hosting Florida International in Jupiter and Detroit playing at home against Florida in Lakeland.

The all-major league portion of the schedule starts with nine games on March 3, and the first full day of games will be March 5, the commissioner's office said Wednesday.

Among the neutral-site games are matchups between the Chicago Cubs and Oakland in Las Vegas on March 13-14; split-squad games involving the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas at San Antonio on March 20-21; and a split-squad game between Colorado and Arizona at Hermosillo, Mexico, on March 29.

The Cubs host St. Louis in the major league opener on April 5.