A Pro Baseball Team Could Soon Be Swinging For The Fences In Long Beach

LONG BEACH, CA — Long Beach could soon house a professional baseball team for the first time in more than a decade, marking another effort by city officials to establish more entertainment opportunities.

City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution that would see Cal State Long Beach collaborate with the Long Beach Baseball Club to develop a partnership agreement for the use of Blair Field.

"We have an exciting opportunity to bring professional baseball back to Long Beach," Mayor Rex Richardson said during the city council meeting on Tuesday. "This effort has a potential to invigorate local pride amongst our residents, foster community engagement, stimulate economic activity for the greater Long Beach community."

The Long Beach Baseball Club would be a newly founded team and play in the MLB Partner League, Pioneer Baseball League. The Pioneer League currently has 12 teams, including the Oakland Ballers, the Ogden Raptors (Utah) and the Boise Hawks (Idaho).

Blair Field, which is where the Cal State Long Beach team plays, serves as the ideal location, Richardson said, due to its rich sports history.

The historic baseball field first opened in 1923 and is named after the late sports reporter Frank T. Blair.

Over the years, it has served as a home field for several minor league baseball teams, including the Long Beach Riptide and Long Beach Armada. The Long Beach Armada played its last game at Blair Field in 2009.

"Blair Field is a cherished city asset," 3rd District Council member Kristina Duggan, a big advocate of bringing a baseball team to Long Beach, according to Richardson, said during the council meeting. "I'm so excited about the possibility of bringing a professional baseball team to Blair Field. They're bringing new energy, new resources and entertainment to our community."

There is no formal date yet as to when the new baseball team will begin play in Long Beach.