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Baseball’s back: A look at the very first game of 2015

CLEARWATER, Fla. – If you’re living in a part of North America that is still under multiple feet of snow, or dealing with freezing temperatures baseball is a sight for sore eyes. On Sunday, there was real life baseball being played under sunny skies on a flawless spring day in Florida.

We’re still 35 days away from Opening Day, but the first official game on the MLB schedule took place Sunday between the Philadelphia Phillies and University of Tampa Spartans at Bright House Field. Sure, it was a meaningless exhibition between a team of mostly minor leaguers and college kids, but it was baseball. It was real, and it was spectacular.

[Check out Yahoo For Spring Training for more great spring training pics.]

The 5,000 fans in attendance got to see some history, too. The Division II Spartans beat the Phillies 6-2, thanks to a seventh inning, two-out grand slam by senior Giovanny Alfonzo. It was the first time since 2011 that an NCAA team beat a major-league team, and a sign that it could be a long seasons for the Phillies.

So if you need relief from the dog days of winter, come along for a closer look at the first game of 2015. Play this John Fogerty hit in the background and rest assured that baseball is coming back.

Bright House Field, the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies. It's a gem of a ball park -- for any level.

A look inside the bullpen at Phillies starter Paul Clemens.

The Phillie Phanatic, doing his thing.

The first pitch of 2015 is low for a ball.

That clock isn't showing the time of day. That's the new between-innings countdown that will be in every stadium in 2015 as part of the new pace-of-play initiatives.

For $8 you can sit in the outfield grass. Not a bad way to watch a ball game.

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Ian Denomme is an editor and writer for Yahoo Sports. Email him at denomme@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter.