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A hopefully on-going history of Tacoma, the Rainiers and the PCL in general. Mostly cribbed from Wikipedia, Baseball Reference, and various official sites.

The history of Tacoma professional baseball is as long as it possibly can be. The first pro team in Tacoma was part of the very fist professional league in the Pacific Northwest; the aptly-named Pacific Northwest League, founded in 1890. The league consisted of only four teams: Seattle Hustlers, Tacoma Daisies, Spokane Babies and Portland Webfeet. No word on whether or not there was an additional prize for the oddest name. If there was, Spokane most certainly won, as their alternate name was the “Bunchgrassers”. The PNWL lasted only two-and-a-half seasons, folding during the 1892 season, as tremors from what would become known as the Panic of 1893 killed the league. The league was briefly resurrected in 1896, with the Tacoma entry called both – at various times – the Colts and the Rabbits. Again, the league folded at mid-season.

Professional baseball returned in 1901, with yet another version of the Pacific Northwest League, this time classified as a Class B minor league. This time the Tacoma team was called the Tigers, a name that would continue to appear and reappear over the next century. This version, included the original four plus teams in Helena and Butte, Montana. The new PNWL faced a rival, as the California League placed teams in Seattle and Portland, changing it's name to the Pacific Coast League. The PNWL retaliated, placing teams in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and renamed itself the Pacific National League. The PCL and PNL would go head-to-head in a battle for survival.

It was a battle the Pacific National League had little chance to win. While both leagues had teams in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, the PNL was hamstrung by the more distant cities like Spokane and Boise. Further complicating matters was the Portland franchise moving to Salt Lake City in July. The PNL staggered, and the Tacoma Tigers folded in August. The Pacific National League finished as a four-team league based in the Mountain West, folding in 1905. The Pacific Coast League was the future.

1 Comment:

  1. kevinfreitas said...
    Fascinating stuff. Can't wait to see what I'll learn in Lesson 2.

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