Little League game back in historic Raimondi Park in West Oakland
The Oakland Ballers call historic Raimondi Park their home base, a community space they share when they’re not playing there. On Wednesday, the team invited two Little League teams to play at the park for the first time since the Ballers invested $1.6 million in renovations. The junior baseball players say it’s a dream come true to play in a big, beautiful space.
OAKLAND, California. – The newly renovated Raimondi Park is home to the Oakland Ballers, an independent professional baseball team founded earlier this year.
The park was once a place where Little League teams played, but when conditions there deteriorated about five years ago, the field was shut down.
The Ballers invested $1.6 million to improve the park.
Wednesday was the first time the stadium has hosted a Little League game since the renovation. Little League officials said Raimondi Park is known for producing more baseball stars than any other park in the country.
And now the company seems ready to restore its reputation.
The sight and sound of a Little League batter hitting the ball was heard on this West Oakland field for the first time in years.
The young baseball players ran from base to base with excitement as they played again in the newly renovated park.
“It looks like a major league stadium,” said 14-year-old Ashton Riley, who plays center field.
“I’m pretty excited. When I was little, I dreamed of playing on such a big field,” said 15-year-old all-rounder Diego Delgado.
It’s a dream come true at the invitation of the Oakland Ballers.
Their home stadium is Raimondi Park.
The team referred to it as a community space when not playing in the park.
“The Ballers play here 48 days a year. That’s a lot of days for Little Leagues and other events,” said Ballers co-founder Paul Freedman.
These young athletes come from different parts of Oakland.
They are members of the Oakland Cal Ripken Babe Ruth League and the North Oakland/South Oakland Little League.
“It makes me feel special. It makes me feel professional,” Ashton said.
The Little Leaguers of the Oakland Cal Ripken Babe Ruth League typically practice and play at Greenman Field in East Oakland.
The room is smaller and league officials said it needs to be renovated.
“Unfortunately, they can’t play anywhere else, so they figure it out, and when they get to play something like this, it’s almost like heaven,” said Coach Q, president of the Oakland Cal Ripken Babe Ruth League.
One coach said a larger and better-maintained playing field would mean fewer injuries and a “safe place” to keep young people off the streets.
“When you see a field like this, you want to be there and play and practice every day,” said coach Dierdres Orta of the Oakland Cal Ripken Babe Ruth League.
It is a field of dreams in their own backyard where confidence is built and talent is nurtured.
Many of these ballplayers aspire to swing the bat in college and maybe even one day in the major leagues.
“It’s really exciting because I never thought I would play a game here. I would come here to watch a game.
But I never thought I would be here,” said Diego.
These young baseball players hope to play many more games at Raimondi Park.
Amber Lee is a reporter at KTVU. Email Amber at [email protected] or text/message her at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU
