Page "San Diego Padres" Paragraph 73

From 1969 to 1993, the Padres held Spring Training in Yuma, Arizona at Desert Sun Stadium.

Due to the short driving distance and direct highway route ( 170 miles, all on Interstate 8 ), Yuma was very popular with Padres fans, and many fans would travel by car from San Diego for Spring Training games.

The move from Yuma to Peoria was very controversial, but was defended by the team as a reflection on the low quality of facilities in Yuma and the long travel necessary to play against other Arizona-based Spring Training teams ( whose sites were all in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, both rather far from Yuma ).