Baseball returns to Tucson with new Mexican Pacific League team

In a historic announcement held at Kino Sports Complex, Pima County officials and Mexican baseball leaders celebrated the arrival of a professional team from the Mexican Pacific League, marking the long-awaited return of pro baseball to Tucson.

"I'm just really proud that we have a baseball team here from Sonora, Mexico, which are our neighbors," said Deputy County Administrator Steve Holmes. "It's great to see them here, visiting, but not only that, participating in our economy and, more importantly, competing and giving us some Mexican baseball here for the first time in a long time."

Salvador Escobar Cornejo, President of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico, expressed pride in the partnership and the cultural bridge being built. "We are proud, we are happy, we are glad to be here. I just want to invite you to be part of the history that we are making here in Tucson… we are together, building bridges between two countries that is very important today."

The team—currently dubbed just as “Tucson Baseball”—will play a full 34-game schedule starting October 15, with a six-week training camp launching in early September. According to owner and team president Victor Cuevas, this is just the beginning: “We are a team here to stay for a long time. And we want the community to feel, I mean, feel their team, to feel their colors.”

The team is also inviting the public to take part in choosing its permanent name. “We want to involve the community, choose to be a part of that name… if it’s a name chosen by the community… they embrace it,” Cuevas said. The naming process will unfold during the inaugural season through stadium and social media outreach.

One young boy attending the press conference, Otto Bungard, has already kicked off the contest with a name, complete with a logo illustration: his submission, The Crazy Coyotes.

Supervisor Jen Allen highlighted the historical significance: “I am thrilled to say that professional baseball at the Kino Sports Complex is back. I look forward to spending cool fall evenings… watching the Tucson baseball team and watching up-and-coming Major League Baseball players and the other skilled players of the Pacifico League play pro ball.”

Allen also reflected on the deep cross-border roots of the region’s sporting culture. “Long before there were walls between us, sports contests of all kinds… occurred regularly, sometimes right across the simple line in the dirt that separates the United States and Mexico.”

Pima County officials emphasized that this project was the result of collaboration across local government, tourism, and cultural organizations. “No matter what business we're in, it's about relationships, and you could not ask for a better team of partners than we have,” said Deputy County Administrator Carmine DeBonis. “This league has deep history and roots… we could not be prouder to be part of that.”

The sentiment was echoed by Blake Eager, the Executive Director at Southern Arizona Sports, Tourism, and Film Authority and former minor league player, who closed the event with a personal reflection: “Tucson was one of the greatest cities in the world for baseball…Today marks a new opportunity, a new chance to make Tucson one of the greatest cities again for baseball. I stand here in front of all you to say, officially: baseball is back.”

The team’s home debut at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium will come shortly after their opener in Hermosillo. As Cuevas noted, “Tucson is now officially a part of the Mexican Pacific League. It gains that privilege.”