Pensacola will be dipping its toe into the frenzied waters of professional baseball a little earlier next year as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos host their parent Major League team, the Cincinnati Reds, in an exhibition game scheduled for March 27, 2014. The announcement will be made Wednesday at 2pm from a ceremony at home plate in Pensacola’s Bayfront Stadium.
The Blue Wahoos will join executives from the Reds in announcing the contest which will kick off the 2014 season. Wahoos fans will see familiar names and faces on the Reds roster as Blue Wahoos past compete against Blue Wahoos present.
The contest, the first time since 1958 that a Major League team has played in Pensacola, is the result of months of behind-the-scenes work by Blue Wahoos and Reds executives to bring the big league team to the Bayfront.
Quint Studer, owner of the Blue Wahoos, said the long-standing history of baseball in Pensacola was part of the inspiration to bring Cincinnati to the Sunshine State.
“I have loved hearing from people who remember a half-century ago when they had the chance to see Major League players play in Pensacola. Having a Double-A affiliate team in Pensacola, the highest level of professional baseball in the City’s history continues to open up opportunities and experiences that were previously not available to the community,” said Studer.
“To watch current Reds players like Joey Votto, Homer Baily, Jay Bruce, Arnoldis Chapman, Tony Cingrani and others is an experience that we are so pleased to provide. Great college games, a Major League team playing in downtown Pensacola, then onto another wonderful Wahoos season. It looks like 2014 is going to be a very special year, and we’re grateful to Reds organization and the Blue Wahoos sponsors and fans for making this game possible,” Studer continued.
The last time a Major League team played in Pensacola was April 3, 1958. The Chicago White Sox played the St. Louis Cardinals. What else was going on in 1958?
– The cost of gas was $.24 cents per gallon.
– Elvis was topping the charts with his song “Hard Headed Woman.”
– The LSU Tigers were the NCAA football champs.
– Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite, was launched into space.
– Tuition to Harvard was $1,250 per year.
In addition to the historic news of the oldest franchise in Major League Baseball coming to America’s First Settlement, the Blue Wahoos will also kick off their 2014 Season Ticket sales at the event. Fans can look for more information in the days to come about tickets for the third season of the Blue Wahoos as well as this historic Major League – Minor League contest.