The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia , that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1956 – 62 and 1965 – 69 . Its home field was Capilano Stadium . During the Mounties' first two seasons, 1956–57, the PCL still was a member of an experimental organized baseball ranking, the Open Classification, as it made a bid for Major League status. However, in 1958 the PCL reverted to Triple-A when the Dodgers and Giants moved to California .
15-536: With their two terms during the 1950s and 1960s, Mounties were the first and second of Vancouver's three Triple-A baseball teams. The city had previously hosted numerous clubs at lower levels, including the Horse Doctors (1905; 1907), Beavers (1908–17 and 1922, although the team was alternatively known as the "Champions" and "Bees" in 1912–13 and 1915), Maple Leafs (1937) and Capilanos (1939–42; 1946–54). The Capilanos, owned by Seattle brewer Emil Sick , were
30-515: A Western International League farm club of Sick's PCL Seattle Rainiers and named after his Vancouver brewery. Sick also built Capilano Stadium, which opened in 1951. The Mounties were affiliated with a number of Major League Baseball parent clubs: the Baltimore Orioles , Milwaukee Braves , Minnesota Twins , the Athletics of both Kansas City and Oakland, and as a co-op club working with
45-479: A 60% share of the team for $ 500. He moved to Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada to take on the role of the team's playing manager. While Brown owned the Beavers, manager Kitty Brashier guided the team to Northwestern League championships in 1911; the Beavers were also champions in 1913 and 1914, while the team was second in the league in 1912. Later Chicago Cubs pitcher Walter "Dutch" Ruether pitched for
60-543: A Class-B minor league baseball team based in Vancouver , British Columbia that played on and off from 1908 to 1922. The team played in the Northwestern League , Pacific Coast International League , Northwest International League and Western International League . In early years, their games were staged at Recreation Park . From 1913 on, they played their home games at Athletic Park . In 1910, Bob Brown bought
75-581: A contending team in 1957 caused a spike in attendance to over 300,000 fans, tops in the Pacific Coast League. This pattern continued through 1962: Vancouver fans supported the Mounties during years when they ranked high in the PCL standings, and stayed away when the team was at the bottom. In 1962, the Mounties finished seventh in the eight-team league in both win–loss record (72–79) and attendance (88,000). During
90-580: The 1970s until 1978 , when it received an expansion PCL franchise, the Vancouver Canadians , owned by Harry Ornest . After 22 seasons, the club moved south after 1999 to Sacramento and became the River Cats . They were immediately replaced by the current Canadians franchise in 2000, in the High-A (formerly Class-A short season) Northwest League . Vancouver Beavers The Vancouver Beavers were
105-760: The Athletic Parks’ former footprint. The park opened April 17, 1913, with a baseball game featuring the Vancouver Beavers who defeated the Tacoma Tigers 8–4 before a then-record 5,663 spectators. The opening of the facility was launched with an hour-long civic parade, which according to the Vancouver Province, " ...commenced at the post office promptly at 2 o'clock and wended its way along Cordova to Main, along Main to Hastings and west along Hastings to Granville and then proceeded up Granville to Fifth Avenue and
120-595: The Beavers in 1914-15. Carl Mays , famous for throwing at batters, also played several seasons with the Beavers. Other members of the club included Chief Meyers , Dave Bancroft , Wimpy Quinn , Mose Solomon , and Bill Sayles . Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Joe McGinnity played for the team in 1918. This article about a baseball team in Canada is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Athletic Park (Vancouver) Vancouver Capilanos Western International Baseball League 1939-1950 Athletic Park
135-471: The PCL to Vancouver the following season to become the second edition of the Mounties. Attendance held at between 120,000 and 140,000 fans for competitive, but non-playoff, clubs from 1965 to 1967, but below .500 seasons in both 1968 and 1969 dropped fan support to 83,000, then 63,000 paying customers. In 1970, the club moved to Salt Lake City and became the Angels . Vancouver was without professional baseball in
150-483: The ball park. " The first admission prices were 25 and 50 cents. After staging an "all-star" game on Christmas Day 1923, in January and February 1924 the first organized league of "Canadian Rugby-Football" in the province of British Columbia was played out of Athletic Park featuring UBC, Knights of Columbus, Y.M.C.A and King George Grads. The odd dates on the calendar for the games were due to baseball limiting access to
165-589: The expansion Seattle Pilots and Montreal Expos in 1969 . The first edition of the Mounties was created after the 1955 season when the Oakland Oaks , a PCL member since 1903, relocated because of falling attendance and a dilapidated home stadium . But the 1956 Mounties, a last-place team, drew only 53,000 fans—almost a third of the Oaks' home gate during their last year in the San Francisco Bay Area . However,
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#1732847914992180-853: The new game. The founding of the four team league is regarded by both the UBC Thunderbirds and Football BC as the start of organized football for both operations. The first baseball game played under the lights in Canada was won by the Vancouver Firemen 5-3 over Vancouver Arrows, July 3, 1931. In second part of the double header, Vancouver Athletic Club beat B.C. Telephone 1-0. Both games were five innings. Babe Ruth played at Athletic Park on October 19, 1934, along with his team of "American League All-Stars" that included Lou Gehrig , Lefty Gomez , Charlie Gehringer , Heinie Manush , Lefty O'Doul , and manager Connie Mack . There were two fires at Athletic Park followed by two rapid rebuilds. The first
195-577: The off-season, massive changes swept the minor leagues. The Triple-A American Association folded its tent completely. Four of the Association's six franchises survived, including the Dallas-Ft. Worth Rangers , which joined the 1963 Pacific Coast League—where it displaced the Mounties and inherited their Twins' affiliation and playing roster. However, this same franchise would struggle in Dallas in 1964 and return
210-399: Was a sports facility in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada mainly used for baseball but also hosted soccer, football, lacrosse, bike races, and rallies. Bob Brown , the man who would later be known as Vancouver's "Mr. Baseball" cleared the stadium site himself, and was responsible for the building of the structure made entirely out of wood. Athletic Park replaced Recreation Park . It
225-403: Was on a narrow block bounded by Hemlock Street (west, first base); 6th Avenue (south, a very short right field); Birch Street (east, left field); railroad tracks (northeast); and 5th Avenue imaginary line (north, third base). Newspaper advertisements typically gave the location as "5th and Hemlock". Today, the bend that the joins 4th avenue to 6th avenue under the hemlock viaduct goes right through
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