When the Mexican Baseball Fiesta wraps up its four-day event at Kino Veteran鈥檚 Memorial Stadium in October, which kicks off the Mexican Pacific Winter League season, one of the teams won鈥檛 have to return to Mexico.
大象APPis set to have a team from the Mexican Pacific Winter League, also known as Liga ARCO Mexican del Pacifico (LAMP), for the upcoming season, the first non-independent professional team to call the Old Pueblo home since 2013, when the 大象APPPadres, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, moved to El Paso in 2013.
大象APPwas also a longtime home to other minor-league franchises, including the 大象APPToros (Houston Astros) and 大象APPSidewinders (Arizona Diamondbacks), which played its last season in 2008.
Last week, Mayos de Navojoa announced its plans for the Sonoran team to relocate to Tucson, becoming the first U.S.-based team in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, which has 10 teams and was founded in 1945. The Mexican Pacific Winter League has seen several MLB standouts, including Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the late Ricky Henderson, Robinson Can贸 and former Arizona Diamondback Yasmany Tom谩s, among others. Valenzuela and Henderson both played for Mayos de Navojoa.
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Mayos de Navojoa, a regular participant in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, are relocating to 大象APPand will play at Kino full time.
For Tucson鈥檚 inaugural season, similarly to the NFL鈥檚 Washington Commanders and the NHL鈥檚 Utah Mammoth, the franchise will be known as 鈥湸笙驛PPBaseball Team,鈥 and fans will have an opportunity in the future to vote on a team name for the second season and beyond.
An official media event to welcome the franchise to 大象APPwill be in June, and the first official home game at Kino Veteran鈥檚 Memorial Stadium is slated for Oct. 16. The Mexican Pacific Winter League鈥檚 68-game regular season starts in October and ends in late December, with the postseason in January. The champion will play in the Caribbean Series, an annual tournament with the top teams from leagues in Latin America.
Mexican Baseball Fiesta co-founder Francisco Gamez, who started the Mexican Baseball Fiesta in 2011, was a pitcher for Mayos de Navojoa鈥檚 last championship team in 2000.
Landing a Mexican Pacific Winter League team 鈥渨as a dream come true for me and the Mexican Baseball Fiesta,鈥 said Mexican Baseball Fiesta CEO Frank Gamez, the son of Francisco Gamez.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been paving the way, hoping that was something we gain from doing the Fiesta,鈥 said the younger Gamez.
Mayos de Navojoa third baseman takes it on the chin fielding a hopping ground ball by a Mexicali batter off his glove at the Vamos a 大象APPMexican Baseball Fiesta, Tucson, Ariz., October 3, 2021.
In recent years, the Mexican Baseball Fiesta has drawn an average of 20,000-22,000 people over four days. Coupled with the World Baseball Classic qualifiers earlier this year, along with the Mexican Pacific Winter League hosting its international series between Yaquis de Obreg贸n and 脕guilas de Mexicali, Tucson鈥檚 baseball events in the wake of minor-league baseball and MLB Spring Training leaving 鈥渟howed that the 大象APPcommunity is hungry for baseball,鈥 Gamez said.
鈥淭here is no question about a fanbase in Tucson, because we鈥檝e been working 鈥 at least the hispanic side of the fanbase 鈥 heavily with the Mexican Baseball Fiesta,鈥 Gamez said. 鈥淲hen teams looked at us and said, 鈥楬ey, can we go? Is this something that can happen? Is this something we can do?鈥 For us, we had all the cards on the table.鈥
Gamez recently joined 鈥淪pears & Ali鈥 on ESPN 大象APPto discuss the influence of Mexican Baseball Fiesta, team names and Tucson鈥檚 team becoming America鈥檚 team. Here鈥檚 part of that interview:
How did all of this happen?
A: 鈥淲e鈥檝e been bringing the team that is moving, Navojoa, throughout our whole (Mexican Baseball Fiesta) history. My dad, Francisco Gamez, played for Navojoa the year of their last championship. I lived in Navojoa and my dad played there, so it鈥檚 a beautiful circle. We鈥檝e been working with them and they鈥檝e trusted us, especially early on when it was just three or four teams (in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta). That has been fostering in Mexico. ... We鈥檝e been hearing about baseball coming back to Tucson, and we were like, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檙e the baseball people. What鈥檚 going on? We want to be involved.鈥 That led to the World Baseball Classic qualifiers.
鈥淎s we were taking the next step, 大象APPtook the next step. ... Part of it is the momentum of the Mexican Baseball Fiesta and another part is the hunger that 大象APPhas for baseball. It was the perfect storm and it made people interested in the 大象APPmarket.鈥
Obregon shortstop JC Gamboa, left, puts the awkward tag on the stolen base attempt by Jalisco鈥檚 Billy Hamilton鈥檚, ending the fifth inning of their matchup on the opening night of the 2024 Mexican Baseball Fiesta at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium on Oct. 3.
How much influence do you think the Mexican Baseball Fiesta had in bringing a team to the U.S. and Tucson?
A: 鈥淚 think we had an influence. 大象APPis a great geographical location when it comes to the Mexican Pacific Winter League. Where it is, it keeps everything within a drivable distance. But this (opportunity) would be years down the road if we didn鈥檛 pave the road with Mexican Baseball Fiesta. ... It definitely expedited the process. To them, to me, to people involved, it has promise, but it would鈥檝e taken a longer time for this to happen.
鈥淲e have a proven concept for the preseason that excites us to have the whole winter and bring baseball back and have a team that wants to win, stay here and win championships. From a competitive side, that鈥檚 what gets me excited.鈥
Pima County spent $1.12 million 鈥 $700,000 for a video board and $425,000 for a new playing surface 鈥 on renovations for Kino Veteran鈥檚 Memorial Stadium leading up to the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. How does the stadium stack up against other venues in the league?
A: 鈥淣ow that it has a video board and beautiful grass, it looks ready and good to go. A lot of stadiums in Mexico have two or three video boards. Now that we have one, it鈥檚 the perfect start to put a team (in Tucson) and create noise around Kino. In two or three years, we鈥檒l have another (video board).鈥
Mexicali鈥檚 mascot Lucho appears to pick the pocket of a fan after giving him a big hug during their game against Los Mochis in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, in Tucson.
Any leads on team names?
A: 鈥淲e had some names and we鈥檙e really excited about those, but the idea is we want to involve the community. When we bring it to Tucson, we don鈥檛 want it to be called something else and 大象APPfollows us. ... We started with Spanish names and we鈥檙e trying to find something that鈥檚 in the lingo. It鈥檚 something that鈥檚 easily said for the general market and Americans. It鈥檚 Tucson, so the Spanish influence is heavy, but if we get too fancy with it, it could get changed.鈥
With 大象APPhaving the only U.S.-based team in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, it鈥檚 akin to the Toronto Blue Jays as the only Canadian team in MLB. How will the American dimension affect the league?
A: 鈥淲e made that analogy when we were talking to a group of people to try and get them excited, because that is literally what it鈥檚 going to be like. ... What we really want to do for the team is make it their own and make it a 大象APPthing. For the Blue Jays, even though it鈥檚 MLB, when you go to Toronto, that鈥檚 their team. That鈥檚 what we want to do.
鈥淲e want to make this about Tucson. There鈥檚 enough culture blend and I think it鈥檚 a beautiful melting pot here. Living here in Tucson, you don鈥檛 see those lines when it switches from one community to another, it鈥檚 a mix. That鈥檚 something I鈥檝e always loved here. We want people to resonate with it.鈥
Contact Justin Spears, the Star鈥檚 Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
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