Thursday will bring an interesting milestone for San Antonio baseball history, as the San Antonio Missions will play their first game in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.
Over the offseason, Missions owner Elmore Sports Group finalized its shift of three franchises. The Class AA Texas League Missions moved to Amarillo and rebranded as the Amarillo Sod Poodles, and will open a new ballpark next week. They were replaced in San Antonio by the former Colorado Springs Sky Sox, who assumed the Missions name and branding, with Colorado Springs receiving they newly minted Rocky Mountain Vibes (Rookie; Pioneer League) after they relocated from Helena.
With the moves now complete, San Antonio will play its first Triple-A game on Thursday night when they visit the Oklahoma City Dodgers at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw is slated to start the game for Oklahoma City as part of a rehab assignment, which could make San Antonio’s first contest at the Triple-A level particularly memorable. More from the San Antonio Express-News:
In Triple-A, the Missions’ games will include players on the cusp of the major league and veterans visiting for rehab starts, like Kershaw.
“I’m really excited,” Missions outfielder Corey Ray said. “Any time you get a chance to face guys like that, I think you should be excited as a competitor. He’s a big-league pitcher, and you hope to be in the big leagues. If you shy away from those matchups, I don’t think you’ll be that good of a big leaguer.”
The Missions are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, continuing a relationship that began when the franchise was still based in Colorado Springs. The Missions will play their first Triple-A home game at San Antonio’s Wolff Stadium on Tuesday, when they host the Memphis Redbirds.
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