The Oakland Ballers, a professional baseball franchise, call Raimondi Park their home field, a venue that has evolved from a century‑old neighborhood landmark into a modern community hub after a $5 million renovation in 2008.
The lawsuit unfolds
A recent lawsuit filed by Ajor Property Group alleges that repeated baseballs clearing the left‑field fence have shattered windows, dented roofs and left tell‑tale baseball‑sized holes in the building across the street, prompting the property owner to seek at least $350,000 in compensation.
The claim underscores a growing tension between the team’s expanding presence and nearby residents, who say the sport’s raw power is spilling into the surrounding neighborhood and causing costly structural wear.
Raimondi Park’s history and design
Raimondi Park’s left‑field fence sits 312 feet from home plate and is protected by a 30‑foot‑high net designed to catch stray balls; raising that barrier to 50 feet would require a change to city height ordinances and could set a precedent for future upgrades.
The park’s recent history includes a $1.6 million investment by the Ballers, a 2025 league championship, and the opening of nearby amenities such as the Prescott Market food hall and a six‑story affordable‑housing complex, all of which have boosted attendance from 1,918 fans in 2024 to over 2,300 in 2025.
A war of words and offers
The legal wrangling has spilled into the public arena, with emails between Freedman and Hassan Najafi revealing a fraught exchange in which Freedman once offered $500 for a video of a baseball breaking a window, and Najafi responded with a fiery rebuke accusing the Ballers of dishonesty and threatening costly litigation.
Robert Jweinat, Najafi’s attorney, declined to answer detailed questions about the case but referenced his experience with municipal governance, while the Ballers continue to engage neighbors by knocking on doors to gauge interest in the ballpark.
The dispute also touches on broader urban development issues, as Oakland grapples with the balance between revitalizing public spaces, supporting local businesses, and managing the environmental and structural impacts of increased sporting activity.