The Surprise Saguaros came home Sunday as the defending Arizona Fall League champions, and their home schedule for the rest of the season doesn't look much like spring training. The team has 15 dates at Surprise Stadium between Oct. 4 and Nov. 10. Six start at 1:30 p.m. on a weekday, six start at 6:30 p.m. on a weeknight, and only three fall on a Saturday or Sunday. Adult tickets cost $14. Surprise residents get $2 off when they buy online. Put together, that makes this the most local season of baseball the stadium hosts all year. It goes best for people who live a short drive from the Third Base Gate and can step away from a weekday for a few hours.
The title gives the season a bit more weight this year. Last November the Saguaros beat the Peoria Javelinas 9–4 to win the 2025 Fall League championship. The 2026 roster is new, as Fall League rosters always are, and it draws prospects from the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Guardians, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. Two of those organizations, the Rangers and Royals, already call Surprise Stadium home every spring. That means a few of the players on the field this October could be back in the same clubhouse in February.
The Calendar, Sorted by When You Can Actually Go
The season opener is already done. Tonight's game against the Glendale Desert Dogs is the second of 15 home dates. The league's regular season runs from Oct. 3 through Nov. 14, and every listed time is Arizona time and subject to change. Here are the remaining home games, grouped by time slot:
| Date | Opponent | First Pitch | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Oct. 5 | Glendale Desert Dogs | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Fri., Oct. 9 | Peoria Javelinas | 1:30 p.m. | Friday Freebie |
| Sun., Oct. 11 | Glendale Desert Dogs | 5 p.m. | Family Fun Day |
| Mon., Oct. 12 | Peoria Javelinas | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Tue., Oct. 13 | Mesa Solar Sox | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Fri., Oct. 16 | Mesa Solar Sox | 1:30 p.m. | Friday Freebie |
| Mon., Oct. 19 | Mesa Solar Sox | 1:30 p.m. | |
| Tue., Oct. 20 | Glendale Desert Dogs | 1:30 p.m. | |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Scottsdale Scorpions | 6:30 p.m. | Autograph Thursday |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Peoria Javelinas | 1:30 p.m. | Friday Freebie |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Salt River Rafters | 3:30 p.m. | |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | Scottsdale Scorpions | 6:30 p.m. | Autograph Thursday |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Salt River Rafters | 6:30 p.m. | Friday Freebie |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Scottsdale Scorpions | 1:30 p.m. |
The table shows a few patterns. The city's Friday Freebies come with a giveaway, and three of the four land at 1:30 p.m. The fourth, on Nov. 6, is a 6:30 p.m. game against Salt River. The two Autograph Thursdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, are both evening games against Scottsdale. The city bills them as a chance to meet future major leaguers up close. The Sunday, Oct. 11 game is Family Fun Day, with family activities and entertainment along with the game. That makes it the most obvious weekend pick for anyone bringing kids.
The calendar also has a long gap. After the Oct. 20 afternoon game, the Saguaros don't play at home again until Oct. 29. Other league events fill that stretch. MLB's schedule includes a six-team tripleheader at Goodyear Ballpark on Oct. 17 and another at Camelback Ranch on Oct. 24. Goodyear Ballpark is a short drive south, and a tripleheader there puts all six teams in one place on a single Saturday.
Who You're Watching for $14
The Fall League exists so big-league organizations can get extra at-bats and innings for players they're counting on. MLB Pipeline lists three Top 100 prospects on the Saguaros this year, and each one has his own reason for being here.
- Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers. Pipeline calls him a high-power prospect, and he's coming back from elbow surgery. For Rangers fans, this is a look at a player from Surprise's own spring tenant before the Rangers report next year.
- Aidan Miller, INF, Phillies. He missed most of the 2026 season, so these games give him the reps he missed.
- Royals outfielder. That adds another Royals player to a field built for big-league spring training.
- Zion Rose, Royals. The Royals took Rose sixth overall in the 2026 draft. He played 19 games at High-A, and MLB says the Fall League gives him more at-bats.
Two of those four belong to the Royals and one to the Rangers. Both clubs train at Surprise Stadium every spring. So the fall season is the Rangers and Royals farm systems playing a few months early in the same ballpark, for less than the price of a sit-down lunch.
The price is what makes the weekday slots work. Single-game tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for seniors 60 and older and youth ages 11 to 17. Kids 10 and under get in free with an adult. Surprise residents who buy online with promo code SURAFL26 save $2. That brings an adult ticket to $12 and a senior or youth ticket to $10. The stadium also sells season passes for $160 for adults, $120 for seniors and $31 for its Kids Club, which covers ages 10 and under. An adult paying the $14 single-game price would need about a dozen games before the pass comes out ahead. With the resident discount, the break-even point moves past a dozen. Anyone planning to make the 1:30 p.m. games a habit can run those numbers before choosing.
Getting In Works Differently This Year
The stadium itself is in the middle of changes. The City of Surprise reported on Oct. 2 that renovations are underway near the Center Field entrance. For Fall League games, that means:
- The Center Field Gate is closed. All fans enter through the Third Base Gate, which opens one hour before first pitch.
- The Center Field Box Office is also closed. Game-day tickets are sold at the Third Base entrance starting one hour before the game.
- The box office is cashless and accepts Visa and Mastercard.
- The city suggests buying ahead online at MLB.com/AFL, allowing extra time to arrive, and following posted signs to the Third Base entrance.
Parking is free, and the stadium's event page directs fans to the lots north of the stadium. Buying online also happens to be the only way to use the resident code, so the city's advice to buy ahead and the $2 discount point the same way.
The city's notice doesn't describe what the renovation will deliver or when it will wrap up. City procurement documents from 2025 give some outline. The design brief for the stadium campus considered upgrades to technology, seating, concessions, merchandise and operational areas, along with partial remodels of both team clubhouses. The city's 2025 solicitation for a construction manager estimated construction would start in May 2026 and finish in February 2027. Those were planning estimates, not a progress report. The 2027 Spring Training opener in Surprise is set for Friday, Feb. 19. For now, fans walking in through the Third Base Gate this fall are seeing a ballpark mid-project, ahead of the season when Rangers and Royals crowds come back.
Where the Season Goes After Nov. 10
The Saguaros' last home game is the Tuesday, Nov. 10 afternoon game against Scottsdale. Everything after that happens on other fields. Salt River Fields hosts the Home Run Derby on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. and the Fall Stars Game on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. The six-team postseason opens with quarterfinals at Sloan Park on Thursday, Nov. 12, then semifinals at Peoria Sports Complex on Friday, Nov. 13. The championship game is at Peoria on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Last year's title game was also played on Nov. 14, at Salt River Fields, where the Saguaros came back from four runs down in the sixth inning to beat Peoria. This year the final moves to Peoria's home park. The games on the home calendar are the 14 above, starting tonight at 6:30 p.m. against Glendale.
At Lynise Trice, we keep track of the local calendars that shape a West Valley week, from a 1:30 p.m. Tuesday game at Surprise Stadium to what's opening down the road. If you'd like to talk through what's going on around Surprise this fall, Schedule Your Free Consultation.
