TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The boys and girls of summer have a new spot to hang their cleats when it's time to come inside and get a bite to eat. For "Dan's Discoveries" I got to check out a brand new space that wants to feed you, and we mean everyone from benchwarmers to designated eaters.
Take a line drive down Valencia Road near the airport just east of Country Club and you'll find a place that's a true diamond in the rough. A baseball diamond, that is.
"Right here you can see you've got home plate right here. Going to first the sky is painted blue like you are in a stadium."
Sluggers is the brainchild of restaurateur and small business owner Jeffrey Flores and his brother and sister who brought their love of baseball all the way from Puerto Rico to Arizona a quarter century ago. It's now on full display in the Old Pueblo
"We got into the business of creating unique places for the people to eat," Jeffrey told me.
It's half national pastime pizza joint, half history lesson of a game that keeps us all young.
"That is from the 50's or 60's from Tucson High."
"It's a tribute to all the little kids that didn't make it to the big leagues. There's something else, you know?"
Jeffrey decked this space out with everything from the arcade games of yesteryear for that classic feel, to the personal touches of the bats and balls that bring back a lot of memories.
"I was good until they threw me a curve ball. Once they threw me a curve ball I was like, whoa, baseball is not that easy. It's not just a flat ball coming to you," Jeffrey said, reminiscing about his playing days.
He still plays baseball almost every Sunday and passed that love along to his kids.
"They are 17 and 14 and they play baseball."
But Jeffrey would trade riding the bench to watch a game for the experience of exploring the sport.
"I'm not a big fan of sitting down and watching a baseball game, but I am a big fan of going to the stadium."
So this new restaurant places you right in the middle of the action. And Jeffrey's part coach, part mad scientist when it comes to creating pizzas people will remember and run the bases for again and again.
Pancetta with chili verde jam and ricotta? OK! Fresh made pesto and spices with a little kick?
"It has chili verde sauce, carne asada, mozzarella, and fresh pico de gallo," Jeffrey said showing off one of the kitchen's creations.
"I don't know if I should be in the starting lineup. There's a lot of pizza."
"This is an awesome place to come get some fresh wings, some pizza, some appetizers, some cold beer when we're watching the games," Saul Virgin, a repeat customer, told me.
So Jeffrey is swinging for the fences, hoping the sports fans of Southern Arizona join those who love food. So basically anyone in the crowd to step up to the plate and pay a visit to Sluggers. What are the lessons that baseball taught him?
"Unity. Being part of a team. And I think that's great," Jeffrey said.
We think the pizza's pretty great, too
Check out all Sluggers has to offer on their Facebook page:
Sluggers
3210 E Valencia Rd
Tucson, AZ 85706
(520) 475-4799
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Dan Spindle co-anchors Good Morning Tucson on KGUN 9 and is an award-winning storyteller whose work has earned him honors from the Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmys, the Associated Press and the Utah Society of Professional Journalists for both anchoring and reporting. Dan is passionate about history and loves to explore the Grand Canyon State. Share your story ideas with Dan by emailing dan.spindle@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or X.
