LA HABRA : City to Consider Renaming Park Area

City Council members next month will consider renaming part of Portola Park after the late Jesse Flores, a former major league pitcher and renowned scout who lived in the city from 1923 until his death in 1991.

Flores, who was 77 when he died, moved to the city from Mexico with his family when he was 8. After years of playing sandlot baseball in what is now Portola Park, Flores became the third Mexican American player--the first Mexican American pitcher--in the major leagues in 1942.

Mel Almada, a center fielder, and Chile Gomez, a second baseman, were the first and second Mexican Americans in the major leagues.

Flores played for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Athletics and the Cleveland Indians in the major leagues and the Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Oakland Oaks, Sacramento Solons and the Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League for 17 years.

He spent the last 30 years of his life scouting for the Minnesota Twins and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Throughout his career, Flores spent his off-season time developing baseball programs for local youths and adults. He organized a semipro baseball team, the La Habra Tigers, and managed it. He supplied the baseballs and bats and spent Sunday mornings watering and preparing a field at Portola Park for afternoon games.

Residents remember Flores for teaching his players the fundamentals of the game and for inspiring a sense of leadership, discipline and fairness.

“Jesse was a real good man, a friendly man to everybody. He did a lot for the youth of this city and he deserves to have something named after him,” said Magdaleno Aguilar, who grew up on 4th Street--the same street Flores lived on. “I used to go watch Jesse and the Tigers play at Portola Park all the time. He was an inspiration.”

Aguilar requested that the city rename Portola Park the Jesse Flores Park or name a baseball field there in Flores’ honor.

A decision is expected at the Sept. 15 meeting.