[1] Albert Spalding's team of All-Stars and the Chicago Club in 1888 is the first known baseball game played in New Zealand and perhaps in the Southern Hemisphere.
Since that time, various local competitions have existed, but it was not until 1989 that the New Zealand Baseball Association was formed, consisting of teams in the Auckland area.
Ed Mason and Mike Reilly invited perspective players to register their interest.
City Blues was the first Club under this umbrella and every year in commemoration of this, there is a "Ed Mason Classic" played.
The Auckland Tuatara team folded in 2023, ending professional baseball in New Zealand.