This volume pays homage to the wonderful teams and players from Azusa, La Verne, Claremont, Pomona, Chino, Cucamonga, Ontario, and Upland. A common thread of all these diverse communities was the establishment of baseball teams and, later, softball teams. Baseball played a critical role in advancing civil and political rights, labor reform, gender equality, educational integration, and cultural legitimacy. These remarkable photographs revive the often-overlooked history of Mexican American baseball in the Greater Pomona Valley.
Author Richard A. Santillán is professor emeritus of ethnic and women studies at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Coauthors are Mark A. Ocegueda, doctoral candidate in history at the University of California, Irvine; Alfonso Ledesma, a Cucamonga public historian; Sandra L. Uribe, professor of history at Westwood College, Torrance; and Alejo L. Vásquez, also a Cucamonga public historian.