📍 San Bernardino, California
⚾ Home of the Inland Empire 66ers

Home to professional baseball in San Bernardino, San Manuel Stadium has played host to California League baseball for nearly three decades. The 66ers organization was established in Northern California in 1979, but relocated to the Inland Empire in 1987. Since arrival, the franchise itself has worn several names: Spirit, Stampede, and the 66ers since 2003, a tribute to Route 66 which slices through San Bernardino.

The Spirit called Fiscalini Field home for their first decade in town, shifting operations to the brand-new San Manuel and rebranding as the Stampede in 1996. The affiliations have rotated as well, from the Mariners to the Dodgers and now the Angels, with the club serving as the Halos’ Low-A stop since 2011. The club’s full name is Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino, reminiscent of their parent club’s former moniker, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Featuring a palm-lined entrance and majestic mountain views, this picturesque ballpark checks all the California League boxes. The ballpark has worn a few different labels over the years – opening as The Ranch, later becoming San Bernardino Stadium, and eventually Arrowhead Credit Union Park. The current name comes from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, who purchased naming rights in 2012. The tribe’s emblems are found on the scoreboard and main entrance, leaving its cultural imprint on the stadium. The San Jacinto ridges tower high above the outfield fence, carving a postcard-worthy backdrop at golden hour.

Inside, San Manuel provides many social spots to enjoy the game from, each with a great view of the action. Large party tents stretch down each foul line, complete with tables and fresh-grilled food. The concourse berm wraps around the left field foul pole, creating a home run landing area, attracting hopeful fans with gloves. Large grassy knolls allow the park’s capacity to swell to 8,000, far beyond Single-A requirements. Behind the visitors dugout sits the Toyota Redlands Garage Bar, open to all fans, with high-tops overlooking the field and oversized sofas to sink into. And directly behind the charming field-level bar is the Liuna Lounge, a climate-controlled disco bar for season ticket holders with local brews on tap. It’s part ballpark, part social lounge, a hybrid that makes the 66ers’ home feel like pinnacle Minor League Baseball.

Most concession stands run standard ballpark fare, but Sophia’s Concessions on the third-base side spices things up with authentic Mexican favorites. It’s a fitting nod to local flavor in a stadium that otherwise leans practical over gourmet. The crowd on any given night here is pretty typical, save for a few relentless hecklers who won’t take a pitch off. Promotions are the typical tried-and-true classics, many involving kids competitions and the appropriately-named mascot, Bernie.

The 66ers have experienced success on the field under each of their nicknames, claiming four league titles as the 66ers and six championships in San Bernardino overall. However, change is on the horizon. Diamond Baseball Holdings purchased the team in 2024, and an upcoming franchise shuffle in 2026 will mark the final season of Angels affiliation in San Bernardino. The Mariners will return, relocating their Low-A club – formerly in Modesto – to San Manuel Stadium and reviving Seattle’s Inland Empire pipeline. While the 66ers name will remain, its lineage will shift, closing one chapter and ushering in another exciting era in the region’s baseball history.