John Smoltz Strikeout Baseball Stadium officially opens in Lansing's Ferris Park
LANSING — A long-term vision became reality for John Smoltz and Jeff Lazaros.
Smoltz, the Hall of Fame pitcher who grew up in Lansing and starred at Waverly High School, teamed with Lazaros, the project's visionary, to officially open the John Smoltz Strikeout Baseball Stadium on June 6 at Ferris Park in Lansing.
Smoltz, Lazaros and Lansing Mayor Andy Schor cut the ribbon at the front entrance before students from Waverly, Eastern and Everett schools participated in the first official game in front of a large crowd of Lansing residents.
"This has been a labor of love for a long time, and I'm blown away by the support from all the people here," Lazaros said. "This has been a vision I've had to not only grow the game of baseball, but to instill hope in the young kids to develop a love for the game that meant so much to me growing up. There's the adage, 'It takes a village.' Well, here's the village. It's all here, and it's unbelievable."
Smoltz, the World Series champion with the Atlanta Braves who played in the major leagues for 21 seasons, has been involved in bringing the venue to Lansing since 2021. It's the first-ever Strikeout Baseball stadium, and both Lazaros and Smoltz believe it has the potential to become something big.
"I didn't know what Pickleball was two years ago, but everyone knows about it now," Smoltz said. "I'm sure a lot of people don't know about Strikeout Baseball, but you know about it now. In two years, who knows what could happen? The opportunity to play pickup baseball games never existed. Thanks to Jeff (Lazaros) and the (Strikeout Baseball USA) board, this is now a reality."
The primary goal for Lazaros and Smoltz is to engage Lansing's youth and reinvigorate the love for baseball in kids of all ages. Schor, whom Lazaros approached about the concept of building this stadium, thought it was a home run idea from the start.
"I grew up in New York playing a lot of stickball, and I'm very familiar with the idea that you can't get nine kids on each team," Schor said. "So when (Lazaros) sought me out, I believe I was in office for maybe a month, he said he had this idea, and he worked tirelessly to fundraise and get sponsors, and he did it all for the kids. That's something we want to celebrate, to give back to the community, and this is why we do the job, to make sure our kids have something like this."
Strikeout Baseball is a smaller version of baseball that can be played with two to 10 players. There is no base-running, as "ghost runners" are utilized, and the balls are made of rubber with the pitcher throwing at a marked strike zone. Plenty of regular baseball rules apply to Strikeout Baseball, and each team has the experience of hitting, pitching, and fielding.
The outfield wall has marked zones with designated outcomes, such as "out", "home run", or "2B". If the ball is hit and reaches the wall, whichever zone it hits is the result of the at-bat. Any ball hit into the net above is live and can be caught for an out, and ground balls can result in either a single or an out, depending on how the defense fields it.
There is no charge to play. Balls are provided at the stadium, so anyone interested in playing needs to bring a bat (must be wooden) and a glove. No baseball cleats or spikes — regular tennis shoes or running shoes suffice — are allowed on the turf field. Regular tennis shoes or running shoes suffice.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: John Smoltz Strikeout Baseball Stadium officially opens in Lansing's Ferris Park
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