Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin was a little high, but right down the middle on his ceremonial first pitch that ushered in a new era of pro baseball in the capital.

“I didn’t bring the heat,” he quipped.

But the weatherman did on a windy but warm evening as a throng of about 4,000, which overflowed into the soccer grandstand, jammed Royal Athletic Park for the Victoria Seals’ home opener in the independent Golden Baseball League.

“You can smell the dogs and onions and hear the crack of the bat,” said Fortin.

“It’s great to have pro ball back in the city.”

In typical Victoria fashion, the evening had cooled considerably by the time the Long Beach Armada (4-4) defeated the Seals (1-7) by a 6-3 count. But that didn’t seem to mute the crowd’s enthusiasm on the night.

The Armada’s winner on the mound was 2007 Boston Red Sox draft pick Scott Lonergan, who reached Triple-A in 2007 for the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Victoria started Isaac Hess, an inspirational former San Diego Padres prospect, who was told he would never pitch again after receiving a hip replacement at age 19. Hess lasted until the sixth inning with the score tied 3-3. Mike Reeves replaced Hess and took the loss for the Seals, who led 3-1 in the third inning.

It was Reeves’ third loss of the young season, all in relief.

The Victoria offensive highlight was a solo-shot homer by former Kansas City Royals-signed Wilver Perez.

The score, however, seemed almost irrelevant on this night. The story was the return of pro ball to its historic Victoria home on Caledonia.

As a youngster, Bill Trimble used to watch the old pro New York Yankees-affiliate Victoria Athletics and later Victoria Tyees at RAP from 1946 to 1954.

He said he wouldn’t have missed last night’s game for all the beer and hot dogs in the new Yankee Stadium.

“This is a very nostalgic night for me to have pro ball return and I’m very excited,” said the former aircraft mechanic.

“This was always a great ball town back then, and I think the Seals are going to do well here.”

Watching the game with Trimble, among the impressive opening-night gathering, was Connie Crane.

“I love being out in the fresh air and watching ball. This is a perfect night for it,” she said.

“I’m amazed at how many people are here tonight.”

Dave Kaval, league CEO and president, flew in from San Francisco for the opener and expressed satisfaction.

“This is a great crowd and the fans in Victoria are really baseball savvy,” he said.

“You notice people scoring the game in the stands, just like they do in my hometown of Cleveland. Victoria fans realize baseball is about tradition.”

But how the GBL got started six years ago is anything but traditional.

“It was our class project at Stanford and look at what it’s turned into — it’s fair to say a Double-A level pro ball league” said Kaval, who will make it to five home openers starting with Tucson, Yuma, Ariz., Chico, Calif., and Victoria with Long Beach and Orange County to come.

“People thought we were crazy when we proposed this but we knew there is a lot of talent out there and believed there was a niche for independent pro ball on the West Coast of North America.”

DIAMOND DUST: The Seals and Armada meet again tonight at 7 p.m. and then conclude the Victoria home-opening set with a Sunday matinee at 1:30 p.m. . . . It won’t be Lima Time at RAP this weekend. Because this three-game set falls outside his place in the Long Beach rotation, former National League all-star Jose Lima is not scheduled to pitch for the Armada in Victoria . . . Armada pitcher Hideki Irabu, a two-time World Series champion with the Yankees, won’t join the GBL club until it returns to Long Beach after starting the season with sets in Calgary, Edmonton and Victoria . . . Match-ups between these two cities are nothing new in minor-pro sports. The Victoria Salmon Kings used to play the now defunct Long Beach Ice Dogs in the ECHL.