TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - The Tucson Baseball Team is marking a new era of pro baseball in the Old Pueblo, and the organization is asking for your help to get off on the right foot.
The team is the first from the Mexican Pacific League to call the United States its home.
The franchise will play its games at the Kino Sports Complex, where the International Series was held last season.
At Kino on Wednesday, leaders from the team, city, and county came together to mark the occasion.
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The work has just begun to be ready for when the players step out onto the field for the first game in October.
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It took a long time to get to the celebrations and laughs shared by collaborators this morning at Kino.
“We started working 10 months ago really hard to make this happen,” said Tucson Baseball Team Manager of Operations Victor Cuevas Delgado.
Now, they’re introducing the third biggest baseball league in the world to southern Arizona.
“MLB, Japan, and then there’s us,” said team owner and president Victor Cuevas.
It’s been a long-term goal for the county to bring professional baseball back to the area.
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The first part is over. They’ve found a team, but now the new challenge is finding fans to fill the seats.
One way they’re starting that connection is getting new fans to help decide a new team name.
“We want to involve the community to choose to be a part of that name choosing,” Cuevas said.
They’ve already gotten their first entry from big-time baseball fan Otto Felix Bungard. He wants to start rooting for the Crazy Coyotes.
“In Tucson, there’s a bunch of coyotes in the desert just walking around everywhere,” Bungard said.
Growing up without a local team to cheer for, he’s only been able to watch the game he loves through a screen.
“I think I’m probably the only one who likes baseball in my family,” Bungard said. “On Amazon Prime, I usually watch games.”
However, with a new jersey and hat to wear to his first game, he’s got big expectations.
“Hopefully, my dream that I really want to see is I really want to see a grand slam,” Bungard said.
The hard work has already started to get more fans like Otto into the crowd.
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“We are together building bridges between two countries that is very important today,” Mexican Pacific League President Salvador Cornejo said.
However, the mixing of the two baseball cultures to form a strong following is something the county said isn’t going to be a problem in the Sonoran Desert.
“We already know that natural kind of blend, and it’s going to cement it even more,” Kino Sports Complex director Sarah Horvath said.
The first official game for the franchise is set for Thursday, Oct. 16. Details have not been released about how to submit suggestions for the team name. 13 News will update this story when a link is announced.
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