The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota , through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League . The team played first in Athletic Park and later Nicollet Park .
53-566: The name Minneapolis Millers has been associated with a variety of professional minor league teams. The original Millers date back to 1884 when the Northwestern League was formed. This league failed and the Western League replaced it, absorbing some of the old teams. According to Stew Thornley, this team folded in 1891 due to financial problems. In 1894, another team calling itself the Millers
106-495: A career out of the minor leagues. One of the better known was Frank Shellenback , whose major league pitching career was brief, but who compiled a record PCL total of 295 wins against 178 losses. (It should be mentioned, however, that Shellenback's long career in the PCL was largely due to his use of the spitball, banned in the major leagues in 1920, not the competitive salaries offered by PCL clubs.) Many former major league players came to
159-584: A few of several teams to begin play in the 1970s. Several new teams arrived in the 1980s, such as the Calgary Cannons , Colorado Springs Sky Sox , Edmonton Trappers , and Las Vegas Stars , but the league began to stabilize as franchise relocations became less frequent. In 1998, the Pacific Coast League took on five teams from the disbanding American Association , which had operated in the Midwest, and
212-427: A postseason championship series to crown a champion. It was not until the mid-1930s that the league instituted regular postseason play that was only sporadically cancelled due to financial problems or other factors. Beginning with 2023, the regular-season is split into two halves, and the winners of each half meet in a best-of-three series for the league championship. The San Francisco Seals won 14 PCL championships,
265-627: A sharp drop in attendance, primarily due to the availability of major league games on television. The hammer blow to the PCL's major league dreams came in 1958 with the arrival of the first MLB teams on the west coast (the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants ). As a result, three of the PCL's flagship teams (the Los Angeles Angels , Hollywood Stars , and San Francisco Seals ) were immediately forced to relocate to smaller markets. The Oakland Oaks had moved to Canada two years before
318-603: A sixth franchise was added to the league as an expansion team, thus providing the scheduling convenience of an even number of teams. The addition of the Iowa Cubs , Nashville Sounds , Oklahoma RedHawks , Omaha Royals , New Orleans Zephyrs , and the expansion Memphis Redbirds grew the league to an all-time-high 16 clubs. Despite its name, the league now extended well beyond the Pacific coast, stretching from Western Washington to Middle Tennessee ; half of its teams were located east of
371-421: Is used when no runners were on base; 20 seconds are allowed with runners present. Teams are limited to five mound visits during a nine-inning game. Pitchers are required to face a minimum of three consecutive batters until the side is retired or the pitcher is injured and unable to continue playing. Note: Teams in italics are PCL "classic" teams from the league's height in the 1950s. Source: One league team
424-671: The Bay Area . The Millers ceased operations after the 1960 season with the arrival of the Minnesota Twins in 1961 . The Red Sox affiliated with the Pacific Coast League 's Seattle Rainiers for 1961. The Millers ended with an overall record of 4,800–4,365. Through the years, Millers pitchers threw seven no-hitters , and a Miller batter was the league-leader in home runs twenty-one times and RBIs nine times. Numerous famous baseball players, managers and coaches have appeared for
477-751: The National League and American Association , whereby the leagues agreed to honor each other's suspensions, expulsions, and player reserve clauses , and established territorial rights. An unrelated Northwestern League , located in the Pacific Northwest , later formed in 1905. The league operated for a total of six seasons, during a span of 13 years. Four teams participated in the 1879 season, which ran from May 1 to July 7. Source: The 1883 season featured eight teams and ran from May 1 to September 29. Source: The 1884 season began on May 1 with 12 teams. The Bay City team disbanded in late July and
530-833: The Rocky Mountains . The league's presence in Canada diminished and ended in the early 2000s, as the Vancouver Canadians moved to Sacramento to become the RiverCats in 2000 (however, a short-season A club replaced that one there), the Calgary Cannons moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico , to become the Albuquerque Isotopes in 2003, and the Edmonton Trappers , the circuit's final Canadian team moved to Round Rock in 2005. Of
583-715: The Spokane Indians and the San Francisco Seals became the Phoenix Giants . The league continued to expand throughout the country in the 1960s. Clubs representing new cities during the decade included the Dallas Rangers , Denver Bears , Eugene Emeralds , Hawaii Islanders , Indianapolis Indians , Oklahoma City 89ers , Tacoma / Phoenix Giants , and Tucson Toros . From 1964 to 1968 the PCL swelled to twelve teams. The Albuquerque Dukes and Vancouver Canadians were
SECTION 10
#1732844527363636-487: The "Triple-A West" for the 2021 season. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the Triple-A West was renamed the Pacific Coast League effective with the 2022 season. The league is divided into two divisions, East and West, of five teams each. As of the 2022 season, all teams play a 150-game schedule, beginning in late March and concluding in late September. Beginning with
689-638: The 1930s resulted in a lower quality of play due to the league's salary reduction. Still, a number of top stars, including Joe DiMaggio , Ted Williams , Bobby Doerr , and Ox Eckhardt , competed on PCL teams that decade. Also helping attendance was the introduction of night games. At Sacramento's Moreing Field , the Sacramento Solons and the Oakland Oaks played the first night baseball game, five years before any major league night game, on June 10, 1930. The Hollywood Stars and San Diego Padres were added to
742-530: The 1968 season. Seven former league teams were transferred to other leagues in conjunction with the 2021 reorganization of the minors. Memphis, which was created as an expansion team in 1998, was transferred to the International League along with Iowa, Nashville, and Omaha, which joined the PCL from the American Association in 1998. Wichita, which also traces its roots to the American Association,
795-524: The 2023 season, the regular season is split into two halves. After the completion of the season, the winners of each half meet in a best-of-three series to determine a league champion . The PCL champion then meets the International League 's champion in the Triple-A National Championship Game , a single game to determine an overall champion of Triple-A baseball, which has been held annually since 2006, excluding 2020 and 2021. Previously,
848-551: The Giants arrived. The San Diego Padres and Seattle Rainiers suffered the same fate when they were displaced by major league teams, the new Padres and the Pilots , respectively, in 1969. Additionally, the PCL lost customers to the major league teams which then occupied the same territory. The league never recovered from these blows. The Pacific Coast League reverted to Triple-A classification in 1958, where it remained, and soon diminished in
901-553: The Minneapolis Millers as players at some point in their careers, these players include: Hall of Fame alumni Notable alumni Interview with Stew Thornley , author of On to Nicollet , the history of the Minneapolis Millers, NORTHERN LIGHTS Minnesota Author Interview TV Series #39 (1988) Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during
954-586: The Northwestern League featured the Des Moines Hawkeyes , Duluth Freezers , Eau Claire, LaCrosse Freezers , Milwaukee Cream Citys , Minneapolis Millers, Oshkosh and the St. Paul Saints . Oshkosh won the championship. League president: W. H. Ketcham Note: Peoria and Dayton disbanded July 16; Bay City disbanded June 7; Detroit disbanded June 6 Peoria won the first and second split-season. Evansville won
1007-477: The PCL as a third major league. During 1945 the league voted to become a major league. However, the American League and National League were uninterested in allowing it to join their ranks. While many PCL players went on to play in the major leagues, teams in the league were often successful enough that they could offer competitive salaries to avoid being outbid for their players' services. Some players made
1060-546: The PCL champion also competed in the Triple-A World Series (1983, 1998–2000), Junior World Series (1919), and other sporadic postseason competitions throughout the league's history. Other interleague play occurred during the Triple-A All-Star Game . Traditionally, the game took place on the day after the mid-summer Major League Baseball All-Star Game . The game was meant to mark a symbolic halfway-point in
1113-525: The PCL had placed franchises, and the PCL's allowing blacklisted players to compete led to the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL) labeling the PCL as an outlaw league. The mild climate of the West Coast, especially California, allowed the league to play longer seasons, sometimes starting in late February and ending as late as the beginning of December. During the 1905 season
SECTION 20
#17328445273631166-557: The PCL to finish their careers after their time in the majors had ended. In 1952, the PCL became the only minor league in history to be given the "Open" classification, a grade above the Triple-A level. This limited the rights of major league clubs to draft players from the PCL, and was considered an act toward the circuit becoming a third major league. The shift to the Open classification came just as minor league teams from coast to coast suffered
1219-533: The PCL was unrivaled for American west coast baseball. Although it was never recognized as a true major league, its quality of play was considered very high. Drawing from a strong pool of talent in the area, the PCL produced many outstanding players, including such future major-league Hall of Famers as Joe DiMaggio , Ted Williams , Tony Lazzeri , Paul Waner , Earl Averill , Bobby Doerr , Joe Gordon , and Ernie Lombardi . Amid success experienced after World War II , league President Pants Rowland began to envision
1272-545: The PCL, clearing it of its outlaw status and designating it as a Class A league. In 1909, the league classification was raised to Double-A. In 1919, with the earlier addition of the Salt Lake City Bees and Vernon Tigers , league membership reached eight teams for the first time. While the league had experienced little commercial success up to this point, the 1920s were a turning point which saw increased attendance and teams fielding star players. The Great Depression of
1325-472: The San Francisco Seals set the all-time PCL record by playing 230 games. Teams regularly played between 170 and 200 games in a season until the late 1950s. This allowed players, who were often career minor leaguers, to hone their skills, earn an extra month or two of pay, and reduce the need to find off-season work. These longer seasons gave owners the opportunity to generate more revenue. Another outcome
1378-683: The Southern Division. In a further move, the New Orleans Baby Cakes relocated to Wichita, Kansas where they became known as the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge . The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Pacific Coast League was reduced to 10 teams and temporarily renamed
1431-530: The application of the DH rule in Major League Baseball is determined by the identity of the home team, with the rules of the home team's league applying to both teams, PCL pitchers hit when both clubs were National League affiliates and they agreed to have their pitchers hit. Two National League affiliated clubs may agree to use the DH instead. The reason for this is that as players move up and get closer to reaching
1484-530: The best player with no prior PCL experience. The Manager of the Year Award , started in 1967, is given to the league's top manager. The Executive of the Year Award, first awarded in 1974, honored team executives who have achieved success in the area of attendance figures, promotions, and community involvement. The Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame was established in 1942 to honor league players, managers, and executives who have made significant contributions to
1537-625: The champions of the American Association and the International League . In the 1932 championship, the team was defeated by the Newark Bears 4 games to 2. The Millers, under manager Bill Rigney , clinched the 1955 series against the Rochester Red Wings , 4 games to 3, in the final ball game played at Nicollet Park . In 1958, the Millers, with Gene Mauch as skipper, beat the Montreal Royals 4 games to 0. Their last appearance in this Series
1590-401: The cities represented in the PCL in its heyday, only Salt Lake City and Sacramento remain, and even these were represented by franchises different from those that originally called these cities home. In 2005, the Pacific Coast League became the first minor league ever to achieve a season attendance of over 7 million. In 2007, league attendance reached an all-time high of 7,420,095. In 2019,
1643-558: The early years of professional baseball for six seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, 1886–1887, and 1891. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by the Western Association , although the Northwestern League returned for its final season in 1891 as an independent baseball league . The Northwestern League of 1883–1884 is considered the first baseball " minor league ", as it was party to the National Agreement of 1883, along with
Minneapolis Millers - Misplaced Pages Continue
1696-523: The final game played on September 7. Source: The St. Paul and Milwaukee teams were late-season additions to the major league Union Association . In 1886, the league was recreated when the Duluth Jayhawks ; Eau Claire Lumbermen ; St. Paul Freezers , Minneapolis Millers, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Oshkosh, Wisconsin based Oshkosh team composed the league. Duluth won the championship. In 1887,
1749-546: The first half of the 20th century. Although it was never recognized as a true major league, to which it aspired, its quality of play was considered very high. A number of top stars of the era, including Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams , were products of the league. In 1958, with the arrival of major league teams on the west coast and the availability of televised major league games, the PCL's modern era began with each team signing Player Development Contracts to become farm teams of major league clubs. Following MLB's reorganization of
1802-489: The following year. That site, at 31st and Nicollet Avenue, is now the home of a Wells Fargo bank. In 1956 they moved into Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington , until 1960. They had a heated crosstown rivalry with the St. Paul Saints . The two clubs often played "streetcar double-headers " on holidays, playing one game in each city. Over the years the Millers were participants in four Junior World Series ; matchups between
1855-517: The league in the 1930s as well. During the first half of the 20th century, the Pacific Coast League developed into one of the premier regional baseball leagues. The cities enfranchised by the other two high-minor leagues, the International League and the American Association , were generally coordinated geographically with the major leagues, but such was not the case with the PCL. With no major league baseball team existing west of St. Louis ,
1908-501: The league, as are all PCL year-end awards. The Pitcher of the Year Award , awarded sporadically from 1957 to 1974 and continuously since 2001, serves to recognize the league's best pitcher. Pitchers were also eligible to win the MVP Award from 1927 to 2000. The Top MLB Prospect Award , created in 1952 as the Rookie of the Year Award and issued from 1952 to 1972 and since 1998, is given to
1961-411: The majors, teams prefer to have the rules follow (as closely as possible) those of the major leagues. The DH is always used when one or both teams are American League affiliates. Since MLB's adoption of the universal DH in 2022, this no longer is an issue. Other differences lay in the use of professional baseball's pace-of-play initiatives which began to be implemented in 2015. A 15-second pitch clock
2014-529: The minor leagues in 2021, it operated as the Triple-A West for one season before switching back to its previous moniker in 2022. A league champion is determined at the end of each season. The San Francisco Seals won 14 Pacific Coast League titles , the most in the league's history, followed by the Los Angeles Angels (12) and the Albuquerque Dukes and Portland Beavers (8). The Pacific Coast League
2067-453: The most among all teams in the league, followed by the Los Angeles Angels (12) and the Albuquerque Dukes and Portland Beavers (8). The PCL recognizes outstanding players and team personnel annually near the end of each season. The Most Valuable Player Award , first awarded in 1927, is given to honor the best player in the league. The award is voted on by team managers, general managers, broadcasters, and media representatives from around
2120-430: The nickname Millers, but the most prominent of these was the team in the American Association from 1902 to 1960. The Millers won four Association pennants during the 1910–23 tenure of "Pongo Joe" Cantillon , then were managed from 1924 to 1931 by another legend, Michael Joseph Kelley , one of the great figures of American Association history. Kelley operated the team as club president until 1946. Broadcaster Halsey Hall
2173-521: The public eye to nothing more than another minor league. The PCL began to spread out across the nation, and internationally, in the 1950s. Previously, Salt Lake City had been the easternmost city in the league. In 1956, the Oakland Oaks relocated to Canada where they became the Vancouver Mounties , the circuit's first international team. Two years later, the Los Angeles Angels moved to become
Minneapolis Millers - Misplaced Pages Continue
2226-591: The season (though not the mathematical halfway-point which, for most seasons, is usually one month prior). During the All-Star break, no regular-season games were scheduled for two days before the All-Star Game itself. The Pacific Coast League plays by the same rules listed in the Official Baseball Rules published by Major League Baseball. One exception was the use of the designated hitter (DH). Whereas
2279-729: The team previously known as the Colorado Springs Sky Sox relocated to San Antonio, Texas and continued play in the PCL as the San Antonio Missions , assuming the identity of a team which had previously competed in the Double-A Texas League . This move was accompanied by realignment in the American Conference. Nashville and Memphis moved to the Northern Division, and Oklahoma City and San Antonio moved to
2332-517: The third split-season. Schedule: Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League ( PCL ) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States . Along with the International League , it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (MLB). The PCL was one of the premier regional baseball leagues in
2385-399: Was acquired by the PCL following the disbandment of the American Association after the 1997 season. One league team joined the PCL from the independent Atlantic League in the 2021 reorganization. Two former league teams played in the PCL from 1964 to 1968. Each one had played in the International League during the 1963 season, and each was transferred to the American Association after
2438-611: Was formed on December 29, 1902, when officials from the California State League (1899–1902) met in San Francisco for the purpose of expanding the league beyond California . Six franchises were granted. These were the Los Angeles Angels , Oakland Oaks , Portland Beavers , Sacramento Senators , San Francisco Seals , and Seattle Indians . A dispute over territories owned by the Pacific Northwest League , in which
2491-576: Was formed when Ban Johnson and Charles Comiskey revived the Western League in hopes of making it a second major league. The Millers continued to play in the Western League through 1900, when the name was changed to the American League to give it more of a national image. Following the 1900 season, several cities were abandoned for bigger markets in cities recently vacated by the National League, including Minneapolis. Some teams were transferred, as
2544-571: Was in 1959, with Mauch as manager, when the Millers lost the series 4 games to 3 to the Havana Sugar Kings . After the farm system era began, the Millers were top-level affiliates of the Boston Red Sox (1936–38; 1958–60) and New York Giants (1946–57). It returned to the Red Sox organization as a result of a swap on October 15, 1957 with the San Francisco Seals as part of the Giants' move to
2597-553: Was moved to the Texas League along with San Antonio. Fresno was transferred to the California League . Seventeen presidents led the PCL before its 2021 reorganization: League champions have been determined by different means since the Pacific Coast League's formation in 1903. With few exceptions, most PCL champions through 1927 were simply the regular season pennant winners. However, a few seasons during this time did feature
2650-500: Was replaced by Evansville. In early August, multiple other teams disbanded. Play continued through August 13, at which time Milwaukee had the best record of teams still active. Milwaukee was later offered the league championship for the abbreviated season, but declined it. Source: The league reorganized on August 14, and started a second season with a limited schedule of 24 games planned for each of four teams. This short season would also end early due to financial difficulties, with
2703-422: Was that a number of the all-time minor league records for season statistical totals are held by players from the PCL. The inaugural 1903 season, which consisted of over 200 scheduled games for each team, began on March 26. The Los Angeles Angels finished the season in first place with a 133–78 (.630) record, making them the first league champions . In 1904, NAPBL president Patrick T. Powers brokered terms with
SECTION 50
#17328445273632756-457: Was the Millers' play-by-play man from 1933 until the club folded in 1960 to make way for the Minnesota Twins . Ted Williams , Willie Mays and Carl Yastrzemski were among some future major leaguers who played for the Millers. The Millers won nine pennants in the Association during their fifty-nine years. They played their home games at Nicollet Park until 1955, the ballpark being demolished
2809-591: Was the case of the Kansas City Blues franchise to become the Washington Nationals (Senators) . However, some of the teams were just left out in the dark. It is unclear which of these two paths the Millers took, but most evidence seems to point toward abandonment, not a transfer to Baltimore as the Orioles , especially given that no player for the 1900 Millers played for the 1901 Orioles. Several teams went by
#362637