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38-562: An independent league called the Southern California League played in the 1886, 1899 and 1900 seasons. The 1886 teams are unknown. The 1899 teams were the Los Angeles Angelenos , Los Angeles Merchants , San Bernardino Grays and San Diego Fullers . The San Bernardino Grays won the 1899 league championship. The 1900 teams were Azusa, Los Angeles, Los Angeles-Pacific and San Diego. No official league standings are known of

76-657: A 15–38 record when the franchise moved to Santa Barbara on June 13, 1913 to become the Santa Barbara Barbareans. The San Diego Bears won the first half of the season. In the second half, the Santa Barbara Barbareans were leading the second half when the Southern California League permanently disbanded on July 23, 1913. The San Diego Bears (56–33) had the best overall record, followed by the San Bernardino Kittens (48–38), Long Beach Beachcombers (43–46) and Pasadena Millionaires/Santa Barbara Barbareans (27–57). During

114-764: A fan base. They were merely a team to watch when the Angels were on the road. After the 1935 season, the Angels doubled the Stars’ rent, whereupon the Stars moved to San Diego for the 1936 season, becoming the San Diego Padres , and Los Angeles became a one-team city once more for the 1936 and 1937 seasons. In 1938, the old Vernon Tigers, who had played in San Francisco as the Mission Reds since 1926, moved back to Los Angeles, this time as

152-441: A home opener crowd of 1,000 at Urbita Springs Park, where Mayor Joseph Bright threw out the ceremonial first pitch before San Bernardino defeated Long Beach 12–4 and begin a seven–game winning streak to start the season. Pasadena had attendance of 1,600 at their home opener. The Southern California League had scheduled Sunday double headers, with the first game being scheduled on Sunday morning. This led to disputes with local clergy in

190-633: A joint-use baseball and soccer stadium. The franchise was temporarily relocated to Tucson, Arizona , for the 2011 season as the Tucson Padres . Moorad intended to have the team play in Escondido , a suburb northeast of San Diego, starting in 2013; however, those plans fell through. After three seasons in Tucson, they moved in 2014 to El Paso, Texas , and became the El Paso Chihuahuas . On May 26, 2012,

228-524: A playing field of hardpan dirt. Events took a definite turn for the better in 1938 when Emil Sick, owner of Seattle's Rainier Brewing Company , bought the Indians and renamed them the Seattle Rainiers. He began construction of Sick's Stadium , a 15,000-seat facility on the site of old Dugdale Field. Sick invested in the team, and it bore results. The Rainiers finished first in 1939, 1940 and 1941. They lost

266-410: A split season format that year). They were so good that their opponent in the postseason series (which the Angels won) was an all-star team composed of players from the other seven PCL teams. The team won pennants in 1938, 1943, 1944, and 1947, with the 1943 team being considered among the best in league history. For the next eight years, however, the Angels struggled to remain mediocre at best. In 1949,

304-670: The 100 greatest minor league teams of all time . The 1934 team, with a 137–50 record, was ranked as the number one minor league team. From 1903 through 1957, the Los Angeles Angels , a PCL team, were one of the mainstays of the Pacific Coast League , winning the PCL pennant 12 times. The Angels, along with the Portland Beavers , Oakland Oaks , Sacramento Solons , San Francisco Seals , and Seattle Indians were charter members of

342-566: The Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1903 through 1957. The Angels were formed in 1903 as charter members of the PCL. In 1958, they were forced to move to a smaller market as a result of the Brooklyn Dodgers ' move to Los Angeles, which brought Major League Baseball competition into the PCL's territory. The franchise relocated to Spokane, Washington , as the Spokane Indians . The 1903, 1934, and 1943 Angels were recognized as being among

380-538: The Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1906 and 1919 to 1968. They were initially named for the indigenous Native American population of the Pacific Northwest, and changed their name after being acquired by the Rainier Brewing Company , which was in turn named for nearby Mount Rainier . Along with the Los Angeles Angels , Portland Beavers , Oakland Oaks , Sacramento Solons , and San Francisco Seals

418-562: The Spokane Indians in 1958. The Stars, in a sense, "returned" to Salt Lake City (whence the original Stars had moved in 1926), becoming the Salt Lake City Bees once more. The new Los Angeles Dodgers would adopt the interlocking "LA" cap logo of the Angels, with a color change to Dodger Blue and white. After Los Angeles, the franchise had stays in Spokane, Washington , ( Indians , 1958–1971) and Albuquerque, New Mexico , (where it assumed

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456-656: The 1896 and 1900 seasons. The Southern California League was formed for the 1913 season as a four–team Class D minor league under the direction of league president Jay Davidson. The Southern California League began play in the 1913 season hosting franchises from Long Beach, California ( Long Beach Beachcombers ), Pasadena, California ( Pasadena Millionaires ), San Bernardino, California (San Bernardino Kittens) and San Diego, California ( San Diego Bears ). The San Bernardino Kittens were owned by player/owner and namesake, Kitty Brashear . The Southern California League officially began play on April 22, 1913. San Bernardino had

494-683: The 1926 season. The move of the Tigers prompted the owner of the Salt Lake Bees to move his team to Los Angeles for the 1926 season, where the team began play as the Hollywood Bees, but soon changed their name to the Hollywood Stars . This first version of the Stars, though supposedly representing Hollywood , actually played home games as tenants of the Angels at Wrigley Field. Though the Stars won pennants in 1929 and 1930, they never developed much of

532-625: The Angels as a PCL team, as had the Wrigleys. He kept his promise – for only one season. The ownership of the minor league team also gave O'Malley exclusive rights to major league baseball in Los Angeles, and he used this to relocate the Dodgers. After the 1957 season, the Angels and the Stars were relocated when the Dodgers confirmed their long-rumored move to Los Angeles for the 1958 season. The Angels relocated to Spokane, Washington , where they continued as

570-634: The Hollywood area, beginning in 1939 when Gilmore Field was opened in the Fairfax District adjacent to Hollywood. The new Stars (or "Twinks") caught on and became a very popular team, winning three pennants before 1958. They were genuine rivals to the Angels, and it was not uncommon for fights between the teams to break out during games. In fact, on August 2, 1953, a brawl between the two teams lasted 30 minutes, broken up only when 50 riot police were sent to Gilmore Field by Chief of Police William Parker , who

608-770: The Indians were charter members of the Pacific Coast League which was founded in 1903 after the California League and the Pacific Northwest League merged. They were known in the Pacific Northwest League as the Seattle Clamdiggers . Though the team finished second in 1906, the PCL contracted from six teams to four after the season (mainly due to the failures of the Sacramento franchise). For

646-805: The MLB Los Angeles Angels wore the PCL franchise's 1950s uniforms during a game at Safeco Field against the Seattle Mariners , as part of the Mariners' turn back the clock 1950s game. The Angels were affiliated with the following major league teams: Seattle Rainiers The Seattle Rainiers , originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels , were a Minor League Baseball team in Seattle , Washington , that played in

684-559: The NWL's Northern Division. On September 1, 1976, Seattle shut out Portland 2-0, with local product George Meyring winning the final professional baseball game in Sicks' Stadium. In 1977 , another American League expansion team was awarded to Seattle, the Seattle Mariners . The Seattle Rainiers were affiliated with the following major league teams: Baseball Hall of Fame alumni Notable alumni The Mariners occasionally wear Rainiers uniforms as

722-526: The PCL added two teams to become a six-team league (in 1919 it added two more). One of the new teams was located in the nearby town of Vernon , and the Angels had their first cross-town rival in the Vernon Tigers. Vernon, a small town, was one of only two cities in Los Angeles County that had legalized the sale of alcohol—with alcoholic beverages as an attraction, the Tigers attracted big crowds by

760-538: The Pacific Coast League which was founded in 1903. From 1903 through 1925, the team played at 15,000-seat Washington Park (also known as Chutes Park ), just south of downtown Los Angeles. Both the team and the park were founded by James Furlong "Jim" Morley (1869–1940), an entrepreneur involved in bowling, prize fighting, billiards, and gemstones as well as baseball. During this time, the Angels (or Looloos or Seraphs as they were sometimes called), won pennants in 1903, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1916, 1918, and 1921. In 1918,

798-680: The San Francisco and Baltimore minor league systems. Managed by former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ray Washburn, the Rainiers went into a tailspin in August and finished last in the NWL North Division. The Cincinnati Reds picked up Seattle as an affiliate for the next two seasons. The Rainiers came in with two second-place showings as the team groomed future major league pitchers Manny Sarmiento , Mike Armstrong and outfielder Lynn Jones during that time, as well as manager Greg Riddoch . Peterson went

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836-539: The Seraphs finished in last place, for only the third time in 47 years. Then, after finishing third in 1955, the Angels won what would be their last pennant in the PCL in 1956. Led by their portly, popular first baseman Steve Bilko , the Seraphs finished 101–61 (.623), sixteen games ahead of the runner-up Seattle Rainiers . Their manager was Bob Scheffing , who later managed the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs . In 1909,

874-482: The first time since 1900. Following a two-year void, a Sacramento man named Art Peterson bought a Class A Northwest League franchise for Seattle, named them the Rainiers and signed a deal to play in Sicks' Stadium (where the team inherited the Pilots' old offices). The Rainiers played five seasons in the NWL between 1972 and 1976 with two winning teams. The team was a co-op operation in 1972, drawing players primarily from

912-546: The host locales and schedules were rearranged. Teams began to struggle financially and president Jay Davidson suggested that each team issue stock. In 1913, Homer Miller and Blount, pitching for the Long Beach Beachcombers, threw consecutive Southern California League no-hitters against the San Diego Bears. The league was scheduled in a split–season format, with champions in each half of the season. Pasadena had

950-473: The independent route for 1975 and 1976, signing his own players. One of those was outfielder Casey Sander , a Seattle native who played one season in 1975 before embarking upon an acting career, eventually landing a regular role in the longtime ABC-TV sitcom Grace Under Fire . The 1976 team had the best showing of the Rainiers' five-season run, finishing second by one game to the Portland Mavericks in

988-477: The last day of the 202-game season. For more than a decade after their championship run, the Indians were mired in the second division year after year. In 1932, their home park, 15,000-seat Dugdale Field , burned to the ground. Located at Rainier and McClellan Streets, it had been built in 1913 when the Indians played in the Northwest League. For the next six years, the team played at Civic Stadium , featuring

1026-567: The name Dukes , a venerable baseball franchise name in the "Duke City") from 1972 to 2000. The franchise was sold and became the third incarnation of the Portland Beavers (2001–2010). In 2010, the franchise was purchased by San Diego Padres ' principal owner Jeff Moorad , after the Portland City Council chose to renovate PGE Park as a soccer-only facility for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer rather than continue as

1064-463: The next 11 seasons, the Indians played in the Northwest League , at the time a Class B league. The Indians re-entered the PCL in 1919 with Portland (which had dropped out of the league after 1917), bringing the number of teams in the league to eight. The Indians finished in last place that year, but jumped to second in 1920. In 1924, the Indians won their first PCL pennant, clinching the title on

1102-586: The owner of the Chicago Cubs of the National League . When Wrigley could not get the city of Los Angeles to make the improvements to Washington Park he requested, he began construction of his own 21,000-seat stadium, appropriately named Wrigley Field , at 42nd Place and Avalon Boulevard in what is now known as South Central Los Angeles . The Angels began play at Wrigley in 1926, and responded by winning their eighth PCL pennant, 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 games ahead of

1140-570: The postseason series in 1939, but won pennants in 1940 and 1941. In 1942 and 1943, the Rainiers finished in third place, but did win another PCL pennant in 1942. After a few lean years, the Rainiers won PCL flags in 1951 and 1955, the last pennants won under Sick's ownership. After the 1960 season, the team was sold to the Boston Red Sox . The Red Sox in turn sold the Rainiers to the Los Angeles/California Angels in 1965, who renamed

1178-465: The season, the San Diego Bears had a 20–game winning streak that ended on the final day of league play. 1899 Southern California League Playoffs: None were held 1913 Southern California League Pasadena (15–38) moved to Santa Barbara June 13 League folded July 23 Los Angeles Angelenos The Los Angeles Angels were a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles that played in

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1216-622: The second version of the Hollywood Stars and, like their predecessors, played their 1938 home games in Wrigley Field. After one season, though, the team was sold to new owners, among them Robert H. Cobb , owner of the Brown Derby restaurant and for whom the Cobb salad is named. They sold stock in the team to movie stars, movie moguls, and Hollywood civic leaders. Moreover, the team actually played in

1254-514: The second-place Oakland Oaks. The stadium was best known as the venue for the 1960 TV show Home Run Derby , filmed in December 1959. The Seraphs won the pennant again in 1933, and they fielded what is regarded as one of the greatest teams in the history of baseball in 1934. They finished at 137–50 (.733), 35 + 1 ⁄ 2 games ahead of the Mission Reds on an annualized basis (the PCL used

1292-447: The standards of the day, and won three pennants during their 17-year history. In 1919, the Tigers were purchased by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle . Opening day in 1919 featured a preliminary "game" which included Arbuckle, Tom Mix , and Buster Keaton . With the ratification of the 18th Amendment and the criminalizing of alcohol consumption, however, crowds became sparse and the Tigers were sold to San Francisco interests and moved there for

1330-489: The team finished second in regular season play, but won the postseason series against their cross-town rivals at the time, the Vernon Tigers . From 1915 to 1921, the Angels were owned by John F. "Johnny" Powers, Los Angeles socialite. The 1916 team was managed by Frank Chance , baseball Hall of Famer, noted as part of " Tinker to Evers to Chance ." In 1921, the team was purchased by chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. ,

1368-716: The team the Seattle Angels, as they were known during their last four seasons. The last hurrah for the Rainiers-turned-Angels came in 1966, when the Seattle Angels won the championship of the PCL's new Western Division (the PCL had absorbed former American Association teams in the midwestern and southwestern parts of the United States). In the playoffs, the Angels defeated the Eastern Division champion Tulsa Oilers, for Seattle's last PCL pennant. The team's last year

1406-527: Was 1968, in which they finished in eighth place overall. Seattle had been granted an expansion team in the American League , the ill-fated Seattle Pilots , which began play in 1969 . The Pilots would last but one year in Seattle, before a bankruptcy court sold the team to a group headed by Bud Selig and were moved to Milwaukee in 1970. After the Pilots left, Seattle was without professional baseball for

1444-529: Was at home watching the game on television when the fight started. Early in 1957, Philip Wrigley, who had inherited the team from his father, sold the Angels and Wrigley Field to Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley for the then-astronomical sum of $ 3,000,000 ($ 32,545,000 today) and ownership of the Fort Worth Panthers of the Texas League . O'Malley assured the PCL owners that he intended to operate

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