Baja Béisbol was born on a road trip to Baja Sur in 2012. While exploring Misión San Francisco Xavier de Viggé-Biaundó, we were drawn in by the enticing smell of barbecue and discovered two baseball teams sharing a pre-game meal. The coaches kindly invited our group to join them for some delicious barbecued baby goat. After the meal, we followed the teams to the field for a doubleheader.

What struck us (five dads with sons playing Little League and Travel Ball) most was the simple act of sharing a pre-game meal—a tradition that was completely foreign to our highly competitive youth baseball culture. This practice fosters camaraderie and mutual respect, which contrasts sharply with the mindset prevalent in our culture, where players often see each other as hated opponents in the misguided pursuit of winning at all costs.

The teams, consisting of twelve- to sixteen-year-olds, wore a mix of mismatched uniforms. Foul lines were chalked from first to third bases, and a few half-buried tires in the outfield marked the playing field. There wasn’t a home run fence; instead, a horse grazed calmly under a tree in center field.

The competition was intense, but joyful, and the seven-inning doubleheader ended in a split decision. As evening approached and the flow of Tecates dwindled, we reluctantly headed back down the mountain to our hotel. That experience, those kids, their community, the food, and the sheer enjoyment of the game lingered in our minds during the long drive back to the U.S.

After more than a decade of reflection, Baja Béisbol emerged from this beautiful memory to keep kids throughout the peninsula playing for the love of the game.