BASEBALL chief Chito Loyzaga was tickled pink at the thought that two former basketball players would figure in the long-overdue renovation of the Rizal Memorial ballpark.
“Who would have thought that Dickie (PSC chairman Richard Bachmann) and yours truly would be behind the repair of the Rizal Memorial ballpark?” Loyzaga said. “Actually, this project is long overdue.”
The son of the legendary Caloy Loyzaga suited up for San Beda while Bachmann played for La Salle during their varsity years and were also mainstays for Ginebra and the defunct Alaska ballclub, respectively, in the PBA.
Loyzaga, the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association president, met recently with Bachmann, who briefed him on plans to renovate the heritage-rich facility that was built in 1934 for the Far Eastern Games that the country hosted.
Bachmann disclosed that the facility’s bleachers would be fixed, a sprinkler system and proper drainage would be installed for the grass pitch plus the opposite wall would be extended.
The iconic scoreboard and the wall where the hits of Major League baseball greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehric are inscribed would be kept intact, according to the top PSC official.
Loyzaga said he is hoping the renovated Rizal ballpark would be opened by early 2026 so the association could host an invitational competition among top Asian baseball powers such as Japan, South Korea and Chinese-Taipei.
“Having Asia’s big guns competing with our national team at the Rizal ballpark would be a gauge of how far we have progressed and how much we need to do and be competitive against them,” Loyzaga said. “This is going to be a yardstick if we will field a team in the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games.”
Loyzaga also briefed Bachmann on the East Asia Baseball Cup that PABA will host from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 at the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles, Pampanga.
