Bradenton baseball team scores attendance records

BRADENTON — The Bradenton Marauders, a minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, set franchise records for overall attendance and average attendance per game this year.

The team, which plays in downtown Bradenton at McKechnie Field, reported 109,845 in total attendance during 62 home games, according to a release. That beats the previous season-total attendance mark of 103,978, which was set in 2011 when there were 69 home games. The team also had an average of 1,772 fans per game this year, its fourth season of Florida State League baseball at McKechnie Field. That's more than 250 fans per game from the previous high mark, set last season with 1,515 per game.

“The support of our fans this season has been tremendous,” Pittsburgh Pirates Senior Director of Florida Operation Trevor Gooby says in a release. “We were able to achieve these records because of our dedicated fans that have been coming to Marauders games since 2010, and many more that took in a game for the first time this year.”

McKechnie Field underwent a $10 million renovation following the 2012 season, a project supported by funds from the team, the city of Bradenton and Manatee County. The renovations included new seats, an expanded fan plaza and new concessions facilities.