New professional baseball team plays home games at Satchel Paige Memorial Stadium

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Baseball has been played at Satchel Paige Memorial Stadium since 1903, but in the last two weeks the 122-year-old stadium has seen its first two professional games.

It’s the home stadium for the KC-Iola Hormigas who play pro ball in the Pecos League. The Pecos League is a 16-team independent league – with six teams in California and 10 teams spread throughout the West. The Hormigas are d with a team called “Bravos” in the Mexican League, and feature players from Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, and the United States.

“We have a bunch of players from the LMB, from Mexico, and things like that,” said Hormigas pitcher and utility player, Jacob Strobel. Strobel is an alum of Winnetonka High School in Kansas City. “We are really learning a lot from them and they are teaching us Americans how they play ball over there in Mexico.”

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The team will play its Sunday home games at the Satch, one of the most historic ballparks in Kansas City.

“I love the older facilities and it reminds me of Municipal Stadium, the first place I used to go and watch Major League Baseball,” said Bob Rennison, the KC-Iola Hormigas’ Director of Gameday Operations and Broadcasting. “The quality, it impressed me with it being a few steps down from the Royals.”

This is the first year the Hormigas have played in Kansas City. Kansas City’s Parks & Recreation Department wanted to bring baseball back to the stadium, as well as provide another entertainment option for the people who live nearby.

“Not all families can afford to get out to Royals Stadium or over to Wyandotte County and see the Monarchs,” said Chris Cotten, KCMO’s Parks & Rec. Director. “Your average 10-year-old doesn’t know this is lower-end pro ball; they just know there is pro ball being played at Satchel. They see these guys playing and they can be their heroes. They can see them, see that they are doing something constructive with their lives.”

If you’d like to find out more about the Hormigas or the Pecos League, you can do so here: Welcome to Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs-- Welcome to the Pecos League!

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