Cubs Add Split-Squad Spring Training Game vs. Royals

When the Cubs' spring-training schedule was released last month, only 14 home games were listed. Spring season-ticket holders were charged for 15 games and it was noted at the time that if the Cubs could add a 15th game, they would.

Wednesday, it was announced that the team would play a 15th home game as a split-squad game against the Kansas City Royals at Sloan Park Monday, March 7 at 1:05 pm Arizona time (2:05 Chicago time).

The other half of the Cubs will be playing the Rockies Monday, March 7 at Talking Stick (2:10 Chicago time).

The Cubs also announced spring-training ticket sale procedures Wednesday afternoon. The general sale for spring tickets begins Saturday, January 9 at 11 a.m. CT. The box office at Sloan Park will open at that time (10 a.m. Arizona time) and tickets will be available at cubs.com, by phone at 1-800-THE-CUBS (800-843-2827) or at the box office, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arizona time.

The Cubs say there's a limit of 10 tickets per spring game, and a maximum of five games per order.

There's also a MasterCard presale for tickets, which will happen Friday, January 8, from 11 a.m. CT through 11:59 p.m. CT. By using a MasterCard, you can purchase single game spring tickets in advance of the general on-sale date at a 15 percent premium in excess of face value. You can buy tickets using other forms of payment, but that will be at a 20 percent premium.

"After another season with record-setting attendance, we’re very excited to begin our third season of Spring Training games at Sloan Park," said Justin Piper, general manager, Spring Training Business Operations. "We expect an enthusiastic response to the team’s exciting offseason and encourage fans to purchase their tickets early once again."

Almost all the spring games in 2015 were sold out or close to sold out and with the great performance of the team in 2015, I'd expect pretty much all the games will sell out quickly this year.

I've added the extra spring game to the BCB spring-training schedule, which is always on the front page under "Really Important BCB Stuff."