Mayor Welcomes International Baseball to St. Pete

With a ball field in the background and the sound of a baseballs hitting the glove, Mayor Bill Foster stood proud at the Walter Fuller baseball complex Monday welcoming the second season of the International Baseball Series.

"Behind me you will hear one of the greatest sounds ever to hit the ears of people. It’s the sound of a ball hitting a glove," Foster said. "And the only sound any better than that is when that ball hits a wooden baseball bat. This is my absolute favorite time of the year."

Foster was speaking Monday to welcome the national teams from Canada and the Netherlands who are participating in this years second annual International Baseball Series in St. Petersburg

Tuesday night, Canada and the Netherlands square off in the opening game of the series at 7:05 p.m. at Al Lang Stadium.

"We are thrilled to have this competition at Al Lang," Foster said. (Al Lang) is really holy ground. Holy grail of baseball. The players who walked on the soil at Al Lang; Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, all the way to Evan Longoria.

"It’s about baseball," Foster added. "Baseball transcends economic downturns, language. It’s an international game."

The coaches for the two teams spoke briefly Monday after opening remarks from Foster. Foster was given a hat and a signed baseball jersey from the Netherlands team, which were

Tickets can be purchased by visiting st.petersburginternationalbaseball.com. General admission seats are $10 and reserved seating is $12.50.

The series, which runs from March 6 to March 18, features teams from the Netherlands, Team Canada and St. Petersburg College playing spring squads from the Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves.