It seems as if Clearwater has been the Phillies' Spring Training home forever. Well, that’s really not true. For many years, they trained elsewhere, including Philadelphia from 1883-1901. Nine other states have hosted Phillies Spring Training.

• Phillies alumni

SPRING TRAINING TIMELINE

100 years ago
Phillies hold Spring Training in Birmingham, Ala.

1923
The Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers) are the first Major League team in Clearwater, training and playing their games at Clearwater Athletic Field (the Phillies were in Leesburg, Fla., from 1922-24).

March 15, 1923
Brooklyn defeats the Boston Braves, 12-7, in the first Spring Training game in Clearwater.

World War II
Office of Defense Transportation mandates that teams hold Spring Training near their homes from 1943-45 in order to conserve rail transportation. The Phillies train in Hershey, Pa., in 1943 and Wilmington, Del., in 1944-45.

1946
Flamingo Field in Miami Beach, Fla., is the site of the Phillies' Spring Training camp.

February 24, 1947
Phillies hold their first Spring Training workout in Clearwater (Athletic Field).

March 11, 1947
Phillies lose, 13-1, to the Detroit Tigers in their first Clearwater game. Attendance is 1,766.

March 28, 1947
Phillies first win, 8-7, over St. Louis on an 11th-inning, walk-off home run by outfielder Johnny Wyrostek.

March 10, 1955
Phillies defeat Tigers, 4-2, in the first game played at Jack Russell Stadium. Robin Roberts is the Phillies' starting pitcher.

March 14, 1967
Phillies open a four-field, state-of-the-art Minor League training complex, Carpenter Field, on Old Coachman Road.

March 28, 2003
The Yankees win the last Spring Training game at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium, 2-0. Pat Burrell gets the last hit.

March 4, 2004
Phillies defeat Yankees, 5-1, in first the game played at Bright House Network Field before 8,205, a Clearwater record. Center fielder Marlon Byrd gets the first hit; shortstop Jimmy Rollins hits the first home run.

March 19, 2016
Clearwater Athletic Field becomes an official Florida Heritage Site when a historical marker is dedicated at Pennsylvania Avenue and Seminole Street, where the ballpark once stood. It is the first such marker in Clearwater city limits.

March 22, 2018
Indoor training facility at Carpenter Field is dedicated and named David P. Montgomery Baseball Performance Center.

Clearwater ballparks
Athletic Field (1947-54), Jack Russell Stadium (1955-2003) and Bright House Networks Field, now Spectrum Field (2004-)

(Photo courtesy of Rich Westcott)