Plans to revive professional baseball in Tucson have been thrown off course after the Tucson Baseball Team, a newly relocated Mexican Pacific League franchise, postponed its season opener at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium due to visa complications for its players and staff.

The postponement marks another setback for Tucson baseball fans, coming just days after the Arizona Fall League’s highly anticipated tripleheader at Kino Stadium Saturday was canceled due to Hurricane Priscilla.

The Tucson Baseball Team, formerly the Mayos de Navojoa from Sonora, was set to throw its first pitch at Kino on Thursday.

Team officials announced the postponement Friday.

“It is with deep regret that we announce that the official start of Tucson Baseball Team activities at Kino Stadium Oct. 16-19 must be postponed until further notice,” owner Victor Cuevas said in a news release, adding that the “immigration processes are currently under review by the appropriate authorities.”

The news release said the U.S. Consulate General in Hermosillo, Mexico, had contacted Cuevas about the situation.

Tucson Baseball Team players had applied for B1/B2 visas, which are nonimmigrant visas for temporary business or tourism purposes, but the consulate said that because the team relocated its operations to the U.S., those visas no longer apply.

The team will have to obtain the appropriate visas before it can play.

The team’s home opener against Los Naranjeros de Hermosillo has been moved to Hermosillo, and officials said they’ll likely also have to cancel the second Tucson series set to start Oct. 24.

The team hopes to resolve the visa issues as soon as possible, but with the federal government shutdown, the process to obtain new visas could take longer than usual.

The postponement follows Hurricane Priscilla’s cancellation of the Arizona Fall League tripleheader, which would have marked the return of Major League Baseball to Tucson after more than 20 years.

Despite the setbacks, the team remains optimistic it will resolve the situation soon.

“This brief delay allows us to finalize operational details and ensures the long-term success of the Tucson Baseball Team. When we take the field, we’ll do it the right way — with excellence, sustainability, and pride for our region,” said Southern Arizona Sports, Tourism, and Film Authority Board President Edgar Soto.

Diana Ramos Sacaria is a University of Arizona alum and Tucson Spotlight reporter. Contact her at dianacrsacaria@gmail.com. 

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