Expand<\/a><\/p>\nFor a city that has experienced a revolving door of professional teams, the arrival of the Coast represents more than the launch of a new franchise: It connects Long Beach\u2019s deep baseball roots with a lasting professional presence.<\/p>\n
Few communities in Southern California can claim a baseball heritage as deep as Long Beach\u2019s. Home to the nationally respected Long Beach State Dirtbags program and generations of players who have advanced to the highest levels of the sport, the city has long embraced baseball even when professional teams failed to gain a lasting foothold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a baseball city, and home to Long Beach State and the Dirtbags, an incredible legacy and Hall of Famers who have come from our city,\u201d Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said.<\/p>\n
For Coast manager Troy Percival, the appeal of Long Beach had little to do with standings or statistics. The former Anaheim Angels World Series champion said the opportunity to be part of the city\u2019s baseball tradition was impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been a baseball guy my whole life, and there\u2019s nothing that intrigued me more than coming to Long Beach,\u201d Percival said. \u201cJust the history of it, the type of people that are going to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Percival played 14 years in the majors, including his matinee-idol stint as a reliever and closer for the Angels during their 2002 world championship season. Percival later coached at UC Riverside and managed the Pioneer League\u2019s Idaho Falls Chukars.<\/p>\n
Percival believes the team\u2019s identity should reflect the city itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are hard-nosed, blue-collar grinders,\u201d he said. \u201cYou will not see guys jogging the bases, playing all day and diving for balls.\u201d<\/p>\n
While independent baseball is often overlooked, Percival said fans may be surprised by the quality of play, which he described as somewhere between Single A and Double A baseball. It was important to him to create an environment where players learn how to compete.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids are getting very good instruction,\u201d Percival said. \u201cWe are teaching them how to win. That\u2019s something I think has been neglected in baseball for quite a few years.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a city with such a deep baseball heritage, he hopes fans embrace both the team\u2019s competitive spirit and its connection to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope everybody comes out and really enjoys the product we\u2019re putting out there,\u201d Percival said. \u201cI\u2019ll give you everything I\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the Coast\u2019s ownership group, Blair Field represented more than a venue. It represented an opportunity to invest in a place that already mattered to the community. Paul Freedman, co-founder of Innovation Baseball Partners, said the organization\u2019s vision extends beyond what happens between the foul lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mission is to build teams that play great baseball but become meaningful parts of the communities they call home,\u201d Freedman said.<\/p>\n
The Coast, he added, are intended to become part of Long Beach\u2019s civic fabric.<\/p>\n
\u201cLong Beach is vibrant, passionate, diverse and a baseball town,\u201d Freedman said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t just about creating a baseball team. It\u2019s about creating community assets, civic pride and a gathering place for families and for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
That philosophy is reflected in the organization\u2019s commitment to invest $2 million in upgrades at Blair Field, a publicly owned facility that has served generations of Long Beach residents.<\/p>\n
![\"Long](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/lbt-l-super-0612-0611_spo_ocr-l-super23_23997810_405633.jpg\")
Long Beach State bench gets pumped up as the runners get on the base during the game 3 of Super Regional against the Cal State Fullerton at Blair Field in Long Beach on Sunday, June 11, 2017. (Photo by Kyusung Gong\/Orange County Register\/SCNG)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are humbled and excited to be the people who bring baseball back to Long Beach,\u201d Freedman said. \u201cWelcome to the Coast era.\u201d<\/p>\n
The timing is notable as the Coast arrives as Long Beach prepares to play a major role in the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and as Southern California enters an unprecedented stretch that includes the FIFA World Cup and the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
Richardson sees professional baseball as part of a larger sports identity that already runs deep throughout the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a sports town,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have more Olympians per capita than any city in America. We are preparing for 2028.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mayor also views the franchise as an example of how public and private sectors can work together to strengthen community assets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s special about this is the public-private partnership and investment in our public parks and our public assets,\u201d said Richardson.<\/p>\n
For city leaders, the Coast represent more than a baseball team. They represent an effort to build civic pride, generate economic activity and create another gathering place for residents.<\/p>\n
The commitment extends beyond the ballpark. Through a partnership between the Long Beach Coast and local attorney and Nguyen Lawyers\u2019 Founding Partner Minh Nguyen, the team has launched a scholarship initiative benefiting Long Beach Unified School District students. For every runner caught stealing by a Long Beach catcher this season, Nguyen\u2019s firm will contribute $1,000 toward a college scholarship fund, with a goal of raising between $25,000 and $30,000 for local students pursuing higher education.<\/p>\n
Nguyen, a lifelong Long Beach resident who played high school baseball at Blair Field, said the initiative reflects the team\u2019s commitment to investing in the community beyond the game itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the opportunity came about to invest in two things I love, the city of Long Beach and baseball, I was all in,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cThis is a way to give back and help the next generation of leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richardson hopes the impact eventually stretches beyond Blair Field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to see more investments, more economic opportunities here,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d like to see a culture of sports that permeates well beyond Blair Field.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Long Beach resident who played high school baseball at Blair Field, Nguyen sees the team as both an entertainment destination and a community asset.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have great Little League programs, Long Beach State and championships,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cNow we have professional baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Coast have also embraced local culture through their Friday night alter ego, the Long Beach Regulators, backed by Long Beach music icon Warren G. For Nguyen, the biggest victory may be seeing families return to the ballpark.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be a fun family atmosphere,\u201d he said. \u201cBaseball is back in town.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody knows yet what the Long Beach Coast will become, but what is certain is that on summer evenings, the lights will once again shine over Blair Field, illuminating a ballpark that has spent nearly seventy years serving as a gathering place for a city that never stopped believing in baseball.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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