Youth baseball league opens 56th season
Donald J. Adams | 6/2/2022, 6 p.m.
The Metropolitan Junior Baseball League (MJBL) will open its 56th season 9:45 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at Hotchkiss Field, 701 E. Brookland Park Blvd.
Mayor Levar Stoney, Police Chief Gerald R. Smith and Flying Squirrels COO Todd “Parney” Parnell will share greetings and participate in an around-the-horn throwing out of the first pitch. Admission to the game is free and open to the public.
MJBL was founded and launched in Richmond in 1966, initially to help youths within urban communities. Through MJBL, participants competed in baseball games throughout the country, gaining exposure to other cultures and improving their playing skills.
The nonprofit organization has partnered with the Richmond Police Athletic League, as well as the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, among others, to help combat a national decline in baseball league participation within inner-city and underserved communities. These groups seek to promote the fun of the game of baseball to those at the T-ball level and the coach pitch level, which serves children ages 5 to 9.
