Ballers begin new era of Oakland baseball with home opener at refurbished Raimondi Park
Just over five months after unveiling itself as an expansion team in the independent Pioneer Baseball League, the Oakland Ballers were readying for their home opener Tuesday evening at the renovated Raimondi Park field.
The B's came into being in November 2023, the same month Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved the Oakland Athletics move to Las Vegas. At a press conference Tuesday ahead of the home opener, Ballers co-founder Bryan Carmel said he and co-founder Paul Freedman came up with the idea for the B's after the heartbreak of the A's leaving town.
"We're just baseball fans," said Carmel. "Last June, so it was about a year ago, when news hit that the other team that called Oakland home was most likely going to leave, we just felt heartbroken. And that's what this was about. We just felt like this can't be the end of baseball, this can't be the end of the legacy of baseball in Oakland. And we just started scratching our heads and thinking, what can we do about that. And then, you know, Paul texted me a couple of days into this conversation and he said 'Well, what if we started a new baseball team?'"
Watch: Tuesday press conference at Raimondi Park
The home opener at the 4,000-seat Raimondi Park facility is completely sold out, the team said. The game comes after a $1.6 million renovation to a park that was an unplayable eyesore just a few months ago. The all-hands-on-deck push to add bleachers, bathrooms and other facilities to the ballpark has coincided with a revival of the West Oakland neighborhood where the park is located, and the effort is reflective of what Freedman says the B's now represent for a city set to lose its third professional sports team.
"Right now, we want to lead the greatest comeback in the history of sports" said an emotional Freedman. "Sports used to be about community. Sports used to be about bringing people together. Sports used to build ballparks like this from the ground up in partnership with the community. But at some point in time, they've lost their way, and we're going to lead a movement to bring it back. And you can either join us or get out of the way."
After originally planning to play at Laney College, the team pulled the trigger on a complete revitalization of Raimondi Park in a nod to the history of professional baseball in Oakland. Raimondi Park was originally opened in 1910 as Bayview Park and renamed in 1947 in honor of Ernie Raimondi, a McClymonds High School graduate who played for the minor league Oakland Oaks baseball club before he was killed in World War II.
The park, set in the Prescott neighborhood of West Oakland, was the training grounds for baseball legends Curt Flood, Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson, each of them McClymonds High grads. The facility will be available to youth leagues when the B's are not playing.
What to know about the B's home opener
The Ballers' first game at Raimondi Park is against the Yolo High Wheelers. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4, at 6:35 p.m. The home opener is the first game of a six-game series against the High Wheelers. Thursday's and Friday's game will also be at 6:35 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday's games will start at 1:05 p.m.
What league do the B's play in?
The Oakland Ballers play in the independent Pioneer Baseball League, a league in the Western U.S. that operates as one of four Major League Baseball partner leagues in the independent baseball league system of teams without MLB team affiliations. For the 2024 season, the Pioneer League has two teams from California, two from Idaho, three from Colorado, four from Montana and one from Utah.
What is the Ballers' record/schedule?
As of Tuesday, the Ballers hold a 7-5 record. They began the season going 2-4 in a 6-game series with the Glacier Range Riders before turning around their fortunes against the Rocky Mountain Vibes, winning 5 of 6 games in Colorado.
The complete B's schedule can be found at oaklandballers.com
How can I get tickets to see the Ballers?
The team says tickets are still available at oaklandballers.com for the other games in the team's opening series against the High Wheelers as well as other home games.
CBS News Bay Area is also giving away family 4-packs of tickets to select games at Raimondi Park. Visit the link to enter the contest.
Will the Ballers be on local TV or stream?
The Oakland Ballers are partnering with KPIX/CBS Bay Area for the live broadcast of all nine Ballers Friday night home games on KPIX+ 44 Cable 12, KPIX's sister station in San Francisco.
