Irvine is finally getting a professional baseball team, with the Great Park set to host summer games beginning in 2027. The new club will bring another regular sports attraction to a city already betting big on the park as Orange County’s next major entertainment destination.
The Irvine City Council approved an agreement Tuesday with Innovation Baseball Partners, clearing the way for an Irvine team in the Pioneer Baseball League, an independent MLB Partner League. The team will play at Great Park Baseball Stadium, although its name, branding and player roster are still being worked out, according to CBS Los Angeles and the City of Irvine’s announcement.
Great Park’s New Tenant Comes With A Five-Year Deal
The agreement gives Innovation Baseball Partners a five-year term, with an optional five-year extension, while making the team the stadium’s non-exclusive primary tenant. The city will retain ownership, scheduling authority, maintenance responsibilities and public access, meaning local youth groups and other athletic users are not being shoved off the calendar for baseball, according to the Irvine City Council staff report.
The deal also gives the team rights to pursue stadium advertising and naming sponsors, subject to city approval. Irvine’s staff estimates the arrangement could generate about $368,000 in annual revenue for Great Park, while the agreement requires at least $25,000 worth of yearly community programming, including youth clinics, camps, coaching education, charitable events and donated tickets.
The Ballpark Experience Will Look Different
This will not be pitched as a standard hot dog, seventh-inning-stretch operation. Innovation Baseball Partners says it plans to borrow from the crowd energy and food culture of Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization, with coordinated fan participation, Asian street food, local craft beverages and more interactive entertainment, as detailed by the Los Angeles Times.
Don Wakamatsu, the former Seattle Mariners manager and the first Asian-American manager in Major League Baseball history, is overseeing baseball operations for the ownership group. The organization has also discussed building an Asian-American presence into the team’s coaching staff and roster, a natural fit for a city whose population and cultural identity are among the most diverse in Orange County.
A New Sports Draw For Irvine’s Expanding Great Park
The baseball team will join an already busy sports complex featuring a 10-field baseball and softball complex, championship stadiums, soccer fields, tennis courts and other athletic facilities. The Great Park sports facilities currently host community programs, tournaments and professional sports, but the baseball club will add a recurring summer schedule rather than occasional event traffic.
For Irvine, the arrangement is also a bet that affordable professional sports can turn Great Park into a repeat destination for families, not just a place people visit for tournaments or one-off festivals. The city says the club is expected to support nearby hotels, restaurants and businesses, while Innovation Baseball Partners is already directing fans to the OC Baseball Club website for updates and a priority ticket waitlist.
The immediate homework is still substantial: settle on a name, finalize venue details, secure league approvals and begin signing players. But the broad outline is now official—professional baseball is coming to Irvine, and Great Park is getting another reason for Orange County residents to spend an evening there.
