Raimondi Park at the beginning of the remodeling effort for the Ballers to play, pictured in late March 2024The Ballers in their inaugural home game, June 4, 2024Kelsie Whitmore pitching in the Ballers' first season.
TheOakland Ballers, nicknamed theOakland B's, are an independent baseball team that started play in thePioneer League in 2024.
The team was created following the approval of theOakland Athletics'relocation to Las Vegas by MLB team owners. The non-profit Oakland 68s raised more than $2 million to establish the team[1] and was inspired by the success ofOakland Roots SC soccer team.[2] The press release for the team's announcement included a pledge forfan ownership based around a 2024crowdfunding campaign.[2]Don Wakamatsu was appointed as the team's first-ever executive vice president of baseball operations.[3] The first player signed to the team was Dondrei Hubbard, announced on December 10, 2023.[4]
They are located inOakland, California, and initially planned to play their home games atLaney College,[5] with an expansion of the park's facilities to hold upwards of 2,500 fans.[1][6] A proposed game at theOakland Coliseum was blocked by theOakland Athletics.[7] In February 2024 it was announced that they would instead play their home games atRaimondi Park in West Oakland, with a capacity of 4,000 fans.[8]
On April 10, 2024,Kelsie Whitmore signed with the Oakland Ballers.[9] She became the first woman to play for the Pioneer League when playing for the Ballers later that year. On June 6, 2024, playing for the Ballers, she became the first female player to start a Pioneer League game. In that game she struck out one batter.[10]
On April 2, 2025, the Ballers played an exhibition game against theSan Jose Giants. The game was referred to asBattle of the Bay 2.0, referring to the now-defunct regional rivalry between theSan Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. This was the first time in history anMLB affiliate team played against anIndependent partner league team. The game was broadcast onKPIX+, and the Giants won the game 5–2.[12]