Stockton Ports 15 at Ontario Tower Buzzers 8 (California League) - June 7, 2026

The California League underwent a bit of a change this past offseason, with some affiliation switches and team movements that resulted in a new club in Ontario, operating as the Low-A affiliate of the Dodgers. The team is known as the Tower Buzzers and plays out of ONT Field, with the naming rights owned by the nearby airport. As you approach, you will notice the back of the scoreboard, which is based on the one at Dodger Stadium. 

Fellow sports traveler Kevin is also chasing minor league parks and we had the same itinerary for three days, so he drove us from Long Beach. The stadium is part of a larger community sports complex and in the middle of nowhere, which allows the team to charge a ridiculous $15 for parking, probably the only negative that I found here. From the parking lot, you walk to the front of the building, where the box office can be found. Tickets start at $7 and you can get good seats for $25 or so, with suites going for considerably more.

To the left of the main entrance (known as Gate A - Arrivals), you can see some batting cages that are open to viewing from outside, giving early arrivers something to do while they bake in the sun.

There is also a parking garage if you prefer to keep your car cool, but it might take a bit longer to get out afterwards. The picture below is of the west side of the ballpark with the Morongo Club Entrance, as seen from the parking garage. They sure don't make 'em like they used to.



Inside, you will find one of the best thematic ballparks around, if not the best. The aviation motif is everywhere, starting with the staff, who are all dressed like pilots. You can see one of them in the background below, behind the suites which are known as Flight Cabins.

In the outfield concourse, markings on the pavement represent features of an airport. Below is the Baggage Hall, a large area beyond the center field fence that is open to all fans.

There are a few specialty concessions at the Baggage Hall, including one that sells Asian-fusion bao buns. Best to start here if you plan to eat. We visited on Sunday, when hot dogs are just $2, and one of those was enough for me, but the other options seemed reasonably priced.

There's even a baggage truck with a dog inside a cage among the suitcases. Really impressive to see the dedication to the bit, so to speak.

Next to here is a play area with a splash pad, and it was so hot that I wish I was a kid again as it looked very refreshing. Note the propeller on the ground; the designers here missed nothing.

An airplane decorates this area as well, with the airport abbreviation on the tail in Dodgers script. The registration at the bottom (DB-1027) is possibly "Dodgers Baseball, October 27th", referencing the date of Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, which went 18 innings.

The pavement in the outfield concourse also has some distance markers...

...while the section numbers are like runway directions.

An ice cream concession in the outfield is known as the landing and offers cones at reasonable prices; get there early though as lines will form once the game starts.

The Tower Buzzer moniker comes from Top Gun ("Let's buzz the tower") so it's no surprise that the mascot's name is Maverick. He is a bee of some sort (buzzer, get it?) and can be seen throughout the game.

Now to talk about the ballpark itself. There are 6,000 fixed seats and up to 500 standing room tickets can be sold as well, for a total capacity of 6,500, putting it 13th among the 29 Single-A stadiums.

The layout is similar to most other new parks, which is not surprising. There is a formula, it works, so why break it? What makes this place special are the aviation touches throughout.

I see these smaller tables at all the new parks; naturally you have to buy all four (or two as in the table in the foreground) seats as sitting so close next to a stranger would be uncomfortable. 

There is a whiffle ball field in the right field area that was empty when gates opened but had a bit of a crowd later on.

Part of the berm is tiered, so you can get a sizable space for your group. Everyone brings towels and by game time, this area was mostly full.

The view from the berm isn't that bad, though for an afternoon game, you will need lots of sunscreen.

It's getting increasingly difficult to tell stadiums apart from the outfield shot; this picture below is quite similar to the one at Hillsboro, though of course that one is smaller. I should note that both franchises are owned by Diamond Baseball Holdings, a group that currently operates 49 of the 120 minor league baseball teams (the limit imposed by MLB is 50, so they are looking to add one more). They have certainly commodified the minor league game, but as most fans don't travel to more than a couple of other stadiums, it's hard to notice. It used to be that the minors were about family-friendly affordability, now it's about revenue generation. Can't fault them for trying to make money, but $15 parking for this level of baseball is still a kick in the pants.

Anyway, continuing around the ballpark, there are a few seats in left field for home run ball aficionados, with drink rails above.

The view from there, which shows quite a bit of foul area in the infield.

The bullpens are open to view and offer an opportunity for a unique shot; that's Stockton's Luis Burgos warming up below.

Down the left field line is one of the largest picnic areas that I have seen, comprising 54 tables in six levels. Most of these were available that day as sitting there in the heat would be very uncomfortable indeed. 

Dodger history is also on display: an incredible mural dedicated to Fernando Valenzuela, painted by Jonas Never, is along third base. Valenzuela did not play here but it's hard to think of a more appropriate player to honour; note the San Antonio hat in one of the paintings that ties things to the minor leagues. 

There are also eight panels highlighting many of the Dodgers accomplishments over the years. Let's forget about the 2025 World Series, OK?

More plush seats along the concourse; these are about $34 before fees. I don't feel a need to be super comfortable at a ballpark; I'll take a stool with a drink rail over this.

A few more special seats right behind the plate, which are relatively bargain priced at $30. Again, for day games, better to sit under cover, which we did as Kevin has purchased a couple of drink rail seats and kindly let me use one.

The Tower Buzzers do have the Beer Batter promotion; if he strikes out, cans of Busch Light are $5 for 15 minutes. Bobby Blandford K'd twice too, but with a long drive ahead of us, I did not partake.

Overall, ONT Field immediately became one of my favourite minor league parks. Being a bit of an aviation geek, I really appreciated the motif as well as the Dodgers history on display, painful as it may be. It would be better if the parking charge was cut down to $5, but when you can gouge your customers, you might as well gouge them all the way. 

The Game

The visiting Ports (Athletics) were 23-33, while Ontario was 29-27 and had taken 3 of the first 5 games in the series. It was an intriguing pitching matchup, with Stockton starting Josiah Romeo, a 6th-round draft pick in 2024 out of Mayfield High School in Caledon, Ontario (Canada, not here), while South Korean Hyun-Seuk Jang took the ball for the Buzzers. After a quick first, Jang was brutal in the second, giving up a single, walk, two hit batsmen, another two singles, and then an RBI groundout that made it 4-0. He had a chance to escape, but Jared Sprague-Lott (9th, 2024) blasted a 3-run shot and Jang escaped to the showers instead.

The Ports added three more in the third to pretty much end things. Romeo was allowed to pitch five frames and got the win despite giving up 3 runs, two of which were solo homers. Both bullpens were battered and the final score was 15-8 Stockton.

The game took 2:58, but with 346 pitches thrown, the PPM was an incredible 1.944. 

Notes

It was Brainrot Day and there was an inflatable Tung Tung Tung Sahur helping with the promotions, including the mascot race. Brainrot is certainly a good description of this form of entertainment. 

This was my 400th unique ballpark lifetime. With this, I have once again completed all minor league ballparks. There are no new stadiums planned for 2027, so I hope to spend next summer just taking it easy. We shall see, though, there are literally hundreds of collegiate wood bat ballparks scattered around the country.

Best,

Sean