Play Ball, Hermosa! Opening Day Brings the Magic Back to Clark Field

Hermosa Beach Little League celebrated its 75th anniversary Saturday as 570 players from 57 teams gathered at Clark Field to begin another season.

Clark Field became a sea of bright uniforms and nervous excitement as first-time tee-ball players clutched oversized gloves and seasoned players eyed the playoff bracket.

“Opening Day of Little League season is the greatest thing that Hermosa Beach does,” said Bob Jones, who unfolded his chair and sat down in the middle of the grass before the ceremony began.

Kids scurried past him in brand-new jerseys, dads gathered in small circles, moms watched their kids run around the field.

Jones took it all in, the way a grandfather does. This is the third time through for him. His two older grandsons played before. Now 5-year-old Alfonso is starting T-ball.

“I have a whole drawer full of hats,” Jones said.

GALLERY (click to enlarge)

Clockwise from top left : Chris Brown, who grew up playing baseball at Clark Field, with his son Taylor, wife Laura and baby Kyla; Molly Fulbright with Dakota, Hank, Bode and Enzo; Robyn Torres, Bob Jones, Kathy Jones, Alfonso Torres and 5-year old Alfonso; Dan and Jenny Mason with Landon, 8, and Morgan, 3; Lexi Basil and her daughter; Hermosa Beach Little League President Evan Smith; Players rounding the bases as part of the opening parade.

Hermosa Beach Little League President Evan Smith kicked off the ceremony with some impressive league numbers. Participation is at a record high this year, almost 600 players. More girls are playing at every level. Seventy local businesses, surf shops, restaurants, banks, are sponsoring the teams.

“It's unbelievable how much support we have in the league, how much involvement we have,” Smith said. “We have this because the community is so strong. It’s the folks, the families, volunteers that make this a special place.”

After his remarks the 57 teams lined up for the opening parade, each player sprinting onto the diamond to round the bases.

“It was fun because everyone was cheering,” 11-year-old Everett Grad said.

Hermosa Valley’s Asha Shah delivered a soulful national anthem before the head coach of the USA Women’s National Hockey Team, John Wroblewski, threw the ceremonial first pitch to Hermosa Police Chief Landon Phillips, the ball popping cleanly into the mitt.

Behind home plate, Hector’s Tacos fired up the grill, continuing its tradition of serving breakfast burritos, tacos and burgers to hungry players and their families.

In an era of travel ball and hyper-competition, Hermosa has chosen a slightly different path. The league does not keep regular-season standings. Coaches rotate players through positions. Kids who have never pitched get a chance to take the mound.

“What we offer is an opportunity for kids to play with their friends, the kids they go to school with,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of failure in baseball. You strike out. You make errors. You walk a guy. But it gives you an opportunity to build resilience and character. You fight through it, you see progress, and it becomes a really cool metaphor for life.”

For some families, the field represents something even deeper.

Hank Bulczynski, 8, and his younger brother Bode, 4, are playing their first season after their family lost their home in the Malibu fires and relocated to Hermosa.

“We got so lucky we landed here,” their mother said.

Longtime Hermosa Beach resident Chris Brown knows the feeling of returning. He accompanied his 5-year-old son, Taylor, to Opening Day.

“This is exactly 49 years since my opening day, which is pretty crazy,” he said.

“I’ve been fortunate to do a lot of cool stuff in my life, but memories from playing Little League here are just about as great as anything you can do.”

He still remembers beating Manhattan Beach in All-Stars.

“I pitched a no hitter, and the losing pitcher was Eric Fonoimoana, who went on to win the Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball. We’ve been friends our whole lives, but I still talk trash to him about it.

“Yeah, you might have an Olympic gold medal, but I pitched a no hitter against you. And he has no comeback. It still hurts him.”

Brown said playing is only part of the experience.

“Baseball is awesome. It’s the national pastime,” Brown said. “But there’s everything else that goes with it. The relationships. The friendships that are going to last a lifetime.”

For 11-year-old Riggins Smith, a pitcher and shortstop who has played seven years, the best part is simple.

“Being able to play with all my friends,” he said. “Whoever wins gets bragging rights.”

Even teenagers who have aged out find their way back. Seventeen-year-old Chase Mamber, a Mira Costa student and junior umpire, worked behind the plate Saturday.

“I love Clark Field. I love baseball. It’s just perfect,” he said.

Do kids question his calls?

“All the time, mostly parents,” he said. “I have to explain it’s not MLB rules. It’s Little League. It’s just for fun.”

For a few hours on a sunny spring day, hundreds of kids gathered on one small patch of grass in the center of town. They cheered, laughed, and played ball.

In a world that often feels hurried, Clark Field did what it has done for 75 years, it brought Hermosa Beach together.

Player Justin Ciani summed it up best: “It’s beautiful here. No matter how bad your day is, you always have fun at Clark Field.”