Mexican Pacific League Franchise Relocated to Tucson

The Mexican Pacific League will move a team to Tucson, bringing professional baseball back to the Arizona destination for the first time in years.

The Mayos de Navojoa will move its franchise to Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium and be rebranded as the Tucsson baseball team, becoming the Mexican Pacific League’s first U.S. franchise.

“We want to have that vision and spread out in the community that it’s Tucson’s team,” Tucson Baseball Team owner Victor Cuevas Jr. said on Wednesday. “We’re playing in a Mexican baseball league, but it’s Tucson’s team. We’re here to create a unique experience when Sonoran and American cultures come together through food, art and entertainment, all while enjoying high-quality baseball in a family-oriented environment.”

The season begins in October and runs through December, with playoffs in January. The Mayos played in Navojoa, Sonora, since 1959 and have two Mexican Pacific League titles.

From 1947 through 2010, Major League Baseball was in Tucson each March for spring training. But in 2011, the last three teams to play in Tucson — the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies — joined the rest of the Cactus League in the Phoenix area.

But as SportsTravel profiled earlier this year, Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium was the site when Brazil, China, Colombia and Germany battle for two spots at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Colombia and Brazil advanced out of the Tucson qualifier.

“More than half a million people visit every year to play or visit Kino, which is way more than attended each year for our spring training,” Pima County District 3 Supervisor Jen Allen said during a media event. “But despite that success, we still didn’t have a tenant for the stadium, so we wanted professional baseball back at Veterans Memorial Stadium. So I am thrilled to say that professional baseball at Keno Sports Complex is back.”