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Oregon & Portland's Baseball History

History of Baseball in Oregon

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A History of Baseball in Oregon
The following is a timeline covering major events in Oregon baseball history. Every player born in Oregon that has played in MLB is listed here, as are key moments in Portland’s rich history of organized baseball. This page will constantly be updated with new material, so check back often. If you have any historical information that can be added to this page, please contact the Oregon Stadium Campaign.

Click here for an interactive timeline of Oregon Baseball History

1870s | 1880s | 1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s

1860s

1860s:
Joe Buchtel, the man credited for making the game popular in the region, changes roles from the elected director of the Pioneers to captain and eventually player/manager of the team. He was a pitcher and outfielder for the team when it won two “State Championships” at the Oregon State Fair in the 1860s.

1866:
The Pioneer Baseball Club of East Portland (Portland Pioneers) are formed just sixteen years after the founding of the city. Portland’s first team plays its first games at a vacant lot on Washington Street. Other “parks” were near Broadway and Stark downtown, but eventually the team moved across the Willamette (hence the name “East”). The Portlanders are victorious in their first game pummeling the Clackamas Club (Oregon City) 77-46.

1868:
In February the Pioneers and five other clubs from the area (the Spartans of Portland, the Highland Baseball Club, the Clackamas Club, the Occidentals from Vancouver) form a union named the “The Oregon and Washington and Idaho Territories Association of Base Ball Players.” Games are based on the rule system set down in 1863 by the “National Association of Base Ball Players” in New York. The rules were slightly modified for the northwestern version of the game.

1870s

1871:
Walter Edward “Jiggs” Parrott is born July 14th in Portland. Walter played four seasons in the National League with the Cubs (1892-95). He debuted on July 11, 1892. For a full season, his career high batting average was .248 for a second division Cubs team in 1894. He has the distinction of being the first Oregon-born player to appear in the big leagues, playing in 315 games, mostly as a second and third baseman. Jiggs passed away at the young age of 26 on April 16, 1898.

1873:
Charlie Babb is born on February 20, 1873 in Milwaukie. He debuts on April 17, 1903. Babb played three consecutive seasons in the majors, all in New York. In 1903 he played with the Giants and moved to the Dodgers in 1904 along with pitcher John Cronin.

1874:
Buchtel reorganized the Pioneers and two seasons later they won the Centennial baseball championship and medal playing against the Clackamas Club, Willamette University, and the Occidentals of Vancouver (a team that mixed locals with Fort Vancouver soldiers).

1880s

1883:
Bill McGilvray is born in Portland on April 29. He debuts on April 17, 1908. He only had two at-bats for the Reds in 1908, failing to get a hit in either trip to the plate. He lived to be 69 years old, passing away on May 23, 1952.

Happy Smith is born in Coquille on July 14. He debuted on April 15, 1910. Happy played for the 1910 Brooklyn Dodgers, batting .237 in 76 at-bats that season. Smith died at the age of 77 on February 26, 1961.

1884:
After 15 seasons with the Pioneers, Buchtel organizes Portland’s next great team: the Willamettes of East Portland. The team features Buchtel, his son Fred, and the Parrot family. Three members of the family would play in Major League Baseball (Walter, Thomas, and Thomas Jr.). The Willamettes opened the 1884 season by beating the Seattle Browns 1-0 and a team from San Francisco 5-3, proving that the Rose City could beat the big boys also. A pitcher for Portland named Bill Burke is the first local to ever play in the Majors, hurling for the 1887 pennant winning Detroit Wolverines. In 15 innings of work he yielded 21 hits and 10 runs for a career ERA of 6.00.

Dick Egan is born on June 24 in Portland. He debuted on September 15, 1908. Egan played in the majors from 1908-16 with three teams (Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves) and hit .249 for his career, stealing 167 bases. Egan passed away at the age of 63 on July 7, 1947.

1886:
Thomas William “Tacky Tom” Parrott is born in Portland on April 10th. Tom debuted on June 18, 1893. He pitched mostly for second division teams in the National League—including the Cubs, Reds and Cardinals--from 1893-96. His career high in wins (17) came for a Reds squad that finished in tenth place with a 55-75 record in 1894. Tom also played 131 games in the outfield, hitting .301 in 999 career at-bats. He died on New Year’s Day 1932 in Dundee.

Ed Mensor is born in Woodville on November 7. “The Midget” as he was nicknamed due to his 5’ 6” frame, debuted on July 15, 1912. Mensor played in the majors for the Pirates from 1912-14. He compiled a .221 career batting average in 224 at-bats.

1887:
Curt Coleman is born on February 18th in Salem. He debuted on April 13, 1912. Coleman played in 12 games with the 1912 Yankees, hitting .243.

1888:
Bert Hall is born in Portland on October 15th. He debuted on August 21, 1911. Hall played one Major League season with the 1911 Phillies. He went 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA in 18 innings pitched. Hall lived to be 59, passing away on July 18th, 1948.

Hub Pernoll is born in Grants Pass on March 14th. He debuted on April 25, 1910. Hub pitched for the 1910 and 1912 Detroit Tigers. His career record was 4-3 with a 6.00 ERA.

1890s

1890:
The successful Willamettes team changes its name to Gladiators and becomes a founding member of the Pacific Northwest League (the PNL), a league with teams in Seattle, Portland, Spokane and Tacoma. The league consists of players from around the nation.

Ed Wilkinson is born in Jacksonville on June 20th. He debuted on July 4, 1911. Wilkinson smacks three hits in thirteen at-bats with the 1911 Yankees. He died at the young age of 27 on April 9, 1918.

Ken Williams is born in Grants Pass on June 28th. He debuted on July 14, 1915. Williams played for 14 Major League seasons (1915-1929) as an outfielder with Cincinnati, the St. Louis Browns and the Boston Red Sox. He led the American League in home runs in 1922 with 39 as a member of the Browns. That season he became the first 30-30 man, stealing 37 bases for St. Louis. Williams’ career high average of .357 was fifth-best in the AL in 1923. He hit .319 with 196 homers during his distinguished career. His career slugging percentage was an outstanding .530, amassing 558 extra base hits and scoring 860 runs.

1891:
The Gladiators win their first league crown with 94 victories, a season during which the Gladiators play San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose of the California League. After the season the Parrott brothers leave for the majors and within two seasons the Pacific Northwest League (PNL) is altered beyond recognition.
Tracy Baker is born November 7 in Pendleton. He debuted on June 19, 1911. Baker has the dubious distinction of playing in one game with the Boston Red Sox in 1911. His only statistic listed is as a sacrifice hit. Baker died March 14, 1975 at the age of 83.

1892:
Del Baker is born May 3, 1892 in Sherwood. He debuted on April 16, 1914. Baker played 22 years as a professional player, but just three seasons in the Majors, playing three seasons with the Detroit Tigers starting in 1914. Baker went on to coach, splitting his duties with Bucky Harris and Mickey Cochrane (see 1942 for more on Cochrane). Soon thereafter he replaced Cochrane as Detroit’s sole manager, guiding them up until the 1942 season. In 1940 he led the Tigers to the American League pennant but lost to Cincinnati in the World Series in seven games. He passed away on September 11th 1972 at the age of 80.

Rudy Kallio is born in Portland on December 14th. He debuted on April 25, 1918. Kallio pitched for three seasons (1918-19, 1925) for two teams (Tigers Red Sox). Rudy’s career record was 9-18 with a 4.17 ERA.

1893:
Lyle (Al) Bigbee is born on August 22nd in Sweet Home. He debuted on April 15, 1920. Lyle pitched in 1920 for the Philadelphia Athletics, for whom he was winless in three decisions. Bigbee pitched for Pittsburgh the following season and allowed one run in eight innings of work.

Howie Haworth is born in Newberg on August 27th. He debuted on August 14, 1915. Haworth played in seven games with the 1915 Indians, collecting one hit in his seven career at-bats.

1894:
Harvey “Suds” Sutherland is born in Beaverton on February 20th. He debuted on April 14, 1921. Suds played only one Major League season for the 1921 Detroit Tigers, going 6-2 with a 4.92 ERA.

1895:
Carson Bigbee, brother of Lyle Bigbee (since 1893) is born on March 31st in Waterloo. He debuted on August 25, 1916. Carson played for 11 seasons (1916-26) all with the Pirates. He batted a respectable .287 during his career. He was a reserve outfielder with the 1925 World Champion Pirates. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI in the seven-game World Series over the Washington Senators. As a winning player, he earns a share of $5,332.72.

Herman Pillette is born in St. Paul on December 26th. He debuted on July 30, 1917. Pillette played in the Majors for four seasons with the 1917 Reds and the Detroit Tigers (1922-24). Herman had a career season in 1922 when he went 19-12 with a 2.85 ERA. His career numbers included a 34-32 record with a 3.45 ERA. Pilette passed away on April 30, 1960 at the age of 64.

1896:
The Portland Monograms are formed and are a huge success. Easily defeating all of the Oregon teams, they go on to crush the Washington State Champion Tacoma Four-Spots 10-1. The victory sets up a showdown with San Francisco, the California League champions. Even though the Monograms lost players to the flu, seasickness, and injury, they still managed to tie the California League champions 12-12 in the first game before losing a heartbreaker in the second, 16-14. The attendance of both of the games was approximately 17,000.

1899:
Denny Williams is born in Portland on December 13th. He debuted on April 15, 1921. Williams played for four Major League seasons (1921, 1924-25, 1928) for two teams (Boston and Cincinnati). Denny hit .259 in his career.

1900s

1900:
Sylvester “Syl” Johnson is born in Portland on December 31st. He debuted on April 24, 1922. Johnson pitched 19 seasons with four different teams (Tigers, Cardinals, Reds, Phillies). Johnson played on the great St. Louis Cardinals teams early in the Great Depression, playing in three World Series with the Cards (1928, 1930-31), winning one. Johnson’s career record was 112-117 and his lifetime ERA was 4.06.

Ossie Orwoll is born in Portland on November 17. He debuted on April 13, 1928. Orwoll pitched for the 1928-29 and Philadelphia Athletics, his career record was 6-7 with a 4.63 ERA.

1901:
The Portland Webfooters, led by Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Tinker (of Tinker to Evers to Chance fame) win the PNL (Pacific Northwest League) title. Tinker would go on to the National League where he played on baseball’s first dynasty the 1904-12 Chicago Cubs, a team that averaged nearly 100 wins in those nine seasons. Tinker led the league’s shortstops in fielding percentage four times during that span, and later managed the Cubs in 1916 after two seasons in the rebel Federal League. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1946.

Ed Coleman is born on December 1 in Canby. He debuted on April 15, 1932. A tall left-handed hitting outfielder, Coleman played for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1932-35. He hit 17 home runs for the St. Louis Browns in 1933 and hit .285 in 1,454 plate appearances.

Wes Schulmerich is born in Hillsboro on August 21. He debuted on May 1, 1931. The right-handed outfielder played in the early Thirties with the Boston Braves, Philadelphia Philies and Cincinnati Reds. Schulmerich finished 5th in the batting race in 1933 (a season divided between the Braves and the Phillies) with a .318 average. Schulmerich hit .289 in 429 games.

1902:
On December 10 Henry Harris, owner of the San Francisco club, announced that teams in Seattle and Portland had merged with the California League clubs to form the Pacific Coast League.

1903-04:
Playing their games at Vaughn Street Park, the Portland Browns struggle out of the gate in the PCL finishing last in 1903 with a 79-136 record, and second to last in 1904 with a 95-108 record. The 136 losses is tied for most in one season in PCL history.

Vaughn Street Park: Built in the spring of 1901, the parks was between Vaughn Street (first base,) Northwest 25th Avenue. (third base) and NW 24th Street (right field). The park’s dimensions were 331 to leftfield with a 20-foot wall, 368 to centerfield with (also with a 20-foot wall), and 315 to rightfield with a 30-foot wall. After the park’s 1912 remodeling, Vaughn Street held 12,000 spectators.

The park was located on a four block site owned by F.I. Fuller’s Portland Railway Co. and was constructed with the assistance of rival trolley company C.F. Swigeat’s City & Surburban Lines. They united to build the park because they felt (correctly) that the ballpark would help both of their companies.

When the park first opened the only stands were behind home and very small in capacity. The original structure was torn down during the building of the 440 track used during the National Track and Field Games of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition (World’s Fair).

In 1912, the park was fully enclosed and expanded to 12,000 seats as bleachers were added in centerfield. The rightfield bleachers extended to the first base area of the grandstand. A covered grandstand extended from third base line all the way to the leftfield bleachers. Other than a few minor changes the park stayed ostensibly the same until 1955. The field was known for the black smoke clouds hanging over the park that originated from the Electric Steel Foundry, just beyond the rightfield fence.

Because the park was wooden it had the tendency to catch fire and in 1947 the leftfield bleachesr burned. Because of the fire, the team began talk of erecting a new steel and concrete park as city officials threatened to either condemn the park or fine the Beavers. The park remained open for eight more seasons before permanently closing in 1955. The park known as Vaughn Street and Lucky Beavers Stadium was demolished in 1956. The Beavers moved to Multnomah Stadium (later Civic Stadium and currently PGE Park), the home of professional baseball in Portland since the mid-1950s.

1905:
With the National Track and Field Championships and the Lewis and Clark Exhibition being held in Portland, the newly renamed Portland Giants played most of their games away from Vaughn Street Park. The results are almost the same as the year before as Portland finishes second to last again.

1906:
The newly christened Portland Beavers win their first PCL title with a 115-60 record. Walter McCredie, nephew of the owner (Judge McCredie), managed the team to the title while hitting .309 in the process. Other greats from that team were Michael Mitchell, who paced the league in hitting with a .351 average and pitcher Benny Henderson who set the Beavs’ record for winning percentage with a 29-10 record (.744).

McCredie played in the Majors for one season as an outfielder with the 1905 Brooklyn Superbas. Walt had 69 hits in 213 at-bats for a .324 career average.

1907:
In what had otherwise been a dismal season, Bob Groom throw the first no-hitter in Beavers history, a 1-0 affair in which he stifles the Oakland Oaks. Groom went on to pitch for ten seasons in the Majors (1909-1918). His best year came with the Senators in 1912 when he went 24-13 and finished in the top ten of every major American League pitching category. Groom also pitched for Cleveland and the St. Louis Terriers of the short-lived Federal League. Groom’s career record was 119-150 and he died in 1948 at the age of 63.

1908:
Babe Danzig leads the PCL in hitting with a .298 batting average. Danzig played six Major League games for the 1909 Boston Red Sox and got two hits in thirteen at-bats.

1909:
Beavers pitcher Alexander Carson throws a 1-0 no hitter in 10 innings vs the Los Angeles Angels. Otis Johnson leads the PCL in home runs with 13. Carson pitched in two games with the 1909 Chicago Cubs. He lived to be 80, passing away in 1962.

1910s

1910:
The Beavers win their second Pacific Coast League title, achieving a remarkable record in the process; Beavers’ pitchers threw a baseball record 88 consecutive shutout innings. The Portland batters hit an anemic .218 as a team, but won anyway because of a pitcher like Sylvanus “Vean” Gregg, who threw a no-hitter, three one-hitters, and 43 complete games out of 51 starts. Gregg’s 14 shutouts is a PCL record and his 368 strikeouts are a Beavers’ record. Gregg had a stellar eight season (1911-1925) Major League career. In his rookie season with the Cleveland Indians, Gregg led the American League in ERA with at 1.80 and finished with a 23-7 record. Opposing hitters batted just .205 against him that season. Gregg later pitched for the back-to-back World Champion Boston Red Sox with staff-mate Babe Ruth. A career American League, Gregg pitched for the Philadelphia A’s and Washington Senators as well. His career record was 92-63 with a 2.70 ERA.

1911:
Led by slick fielding shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh and league average and home run leader Buddy Ryan (.333, 23) the Beavers captured their third PCL title. Portland played the Sacramento Solons to a 1-1 tie in 24 innings. It is tied for the longest game in PCL history; remarkably, pitcher Elmer “Bob” Koestner went the distance. William Steen led the PCL in winning percentage by going 30-15 (.667).

Peckinpaugh played 17 seasons in the Majors between 1910 and 1927. In 1924, he won a World Series with Washington and earned American League Most Valuable Player honors in 1925 for the pennant-winning Washington Senators. The great-fielding shortstop hit .294 with four homers and 64 RBI, playing the role of sparkplug for the Senators. Peckinpaugh hit .259 for his career, collecting 1,875 hits and scoring 1,006 runs. Peckinpaugh also played for Cleveland, the New York Yankees, and the Chicago White Sox. He later managed the Indians for eight seasons, guiding them as high as 4th in 1932 with a 87-65 record.

Koestner pitched two seasons (1910, 1914) in the Majors with a 5-10 record and a 3.18 ERA.

1912:
Vaughn Street Park is remodeled and the first known “luxury boxes” are installed.

Paul Gehrman is born in Marquam on May 3rd. He debuted on September 15, 1937. Gehrman pitched nine and one third innings for the 1937 Reds, allowing three runs and losing his only Major League start.

Jack Wilson is born in Portland on April 12th. “Black Jack” debuted on September 9, 1934. Wilson pitched for nine seasons (1934-42) with the Philadelphia A’s, Boston Red Sox, Washington and Detroit. During his career, Wilson posted a 68-72 record with a 4.59 ERA. Wilson passed away at the age of 82 on April 19, 1995.

1913:
The Beavers win their fourth PCL title.

1914:
Evan “Rube” Evans throws a no-hitter vs the Oakland Oaks winning 3-0.

Elmer Lober leads the PCL in home runs with nine and the Beavers win their fifth PCL title.

1916:
Bill Bevens is born in Hubbard on October 21st. He debuted on May 12, 1944. Bevens pitched for the Joe DiMaggio-led Yankees from 1944-1947. His career record was 40-36 with a 3.08 ERA. Bevens won winning the World Series with New York to cap his final Major League season.

1917:
Beaver Ken Williams of Grants Pass, Oregon leads the PCL in home runs with 24.

Bill Sayles is born in Portland on July 27th. He debuted on July 17, 1939. Sayles played in parts of two seasons (1939, 1943) with the Boston Red Sox, New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, compiling a 1-3 record with a 5.61 ERA.

1918:
Due to World War I travel restrictions the Beavers did not field a team for this season.

Vern Olsen is born in Hillsboro on March 16th. He debuted on September 8, 1939. Olsen played five Major League seasons (1939-42, 1946), all with the Chicago Cubs. During a war-shortened career Vern posted a 30-26 record and a 3.40 ERA. Vern passed away on July 13, 1989 at the age of 71.

1919:
Harvey “Suds” Sutherland throws an 11-0 no-hitter against the San Francisco Seals (see 1894).

John Leovich is born in Portland on May 5. He debuted on May 1, 1941. Leovich played in one game for the 1941 Philadelphia Athletics, smacking a double in one of his two Major League at-bats.

Mike Budnick is born in Astoria on September 15th. He debuted on April 18, 1946. Budnick played for the postwar New York Giants for both of his Major League seasons: 1946 and 1947. He retired with a 2-3 record and a 4.04 ERA. Budnick died on December 2, 1999 at the age of 80.

Hal Erickson is born on July 17th in Portland. He debuted on April 14, 1953. Erickson pitched in 18 games with the 1953 Tigers going 0-1 with a 4.73 ERA in 32.3 innings.

Red Sox great Johnny Pesky is born on September 27th in Portland. He debuted on April 14, 1942. Pesky played for ten seasons (1942-54) primarily on the left side of the infield, spending time during his career with Detroit and Washington in addition to Boston. Remarkably he collected over 200 hits in each of his first three seasons at Fenway. He made the All-Star team in 1946 hitting .335 for the pennant-winning Red Sox. Pesky hit over .300 in six of his Major League seasons and he finished with an outstanding .307 batting average.. He is still a fixture in Red Sox lore: the rightfield foul pole carries the name “Pesky Pole” and Johnny is still seen every season at Red Sox spring training in Winter Haven, Florida.

1920s

1920:
Larry Jansen is born in Verboort on July 16th. He debuted on April 17, 1947. Jansen pitched for the New York Giants from 1947-54 and the Reds for the 1956 season. He won 20 games in his rookie season of 1947, going 21-5. In 1950 and 1951 he made the NL All-Star teams, with records of 19-13 and 23-11, respectively. The right-hander completed his career with a 122-89, 3.58 ERA and 17 career shutouts.

Dick Whitman is born in Woodburn on November 9th. He debuted on April 16, 1946. Whitman played six Major League seasons (1946-51) for Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Whitman hit .259 during his career with two home runs. He appeared in the 1949 World Series with the Dodgers and in the 1950 classic with the Phillies.

1921:
Howie Fox is born in Coburg on March 1st. He debuted on September 28, 1944. Starting in 1944, Fox pitched for eight seasons with the Reds, moving on to Philadelphia in 1952 before making 38 appearances as a reliever for the 1953 Orioles. Fox’s career ERA was 4.33 and he ended with a 43-72 record. Fox passed away at the age of 34 in 1955.

1924:
James Poole leads the PCL in home runs with 38. Emmett McCabb set a PCL record with 7 singles in a game against the Salt Lake City Bees. Poole played three Major League seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics starting in 1925. In his rookie season he hit .298 with five home runs and 67 RBI.

Eddie Erautt is born in Portland on September 26th. He debuted on April 16, 1947. Erautt pitched for the Reds from 1947-53 and was traded to St. Louis during the 1953 season. He finished with a career record of 15-23 and a 4.86 ERA.

1925:
Buddy Peterson is born in Portland on April 23rd. He debuted on September 14, 1955. Peterson played for the 1955 White Sox and the 1957 Orioles. In his two-year career he hit .237 in 38 at-bats.

1926:
Elmer Smith’s 46 HRs lead the PCL, teammate William Bagwell lead the PCL with a .391 Avg.

Don Johnson is born in Portland on November 12th. Dan debuted on April 20, 1947. The journeyman right-hander pitched for seven seasons with the Yankees, St. Louis Browns, Washington, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore and San Francisco. His best season came in 1954 with the White Sox as a jack-of-all-trades, going 8-7 with a 3.12 ERA a season, earning seven saves as a reliever and hurling three shutouts as a starter. Johnson’s career ERA was 4.78 and his record was 27-38.

1927:
Elmer Smith wins his second consecutive PCL home run title, clobbering 40 long balls. Smith joined the Beavers after a ten-season Major League career between 1914-25 with Cleveland, Washington, the New York Yankees and Cincinnati. Smith spent the 1918 season in Europe fighting in the Great War. Elmer played on the 1920 World Champion Cleveland Indians, hitting a home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the victory. Elmer lived to be 101, dying in 1984.

Jim McDonald is born in Grants Pass on May 17th. He debuted on July 27, 1950. “Hot Rod” pitched for nine seasons starting in 1950 for Boston, the St. Louis Browns, New York Yankees, Baltimore and the Chicago White Sox. His career record was 24-27 with a 4.27 ERA.

1928:
Elma “Jack” Knight no-hits Oakland in a 5-0 win for the Beavers. Knight pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves during his four Major League seasons (between 1922 and 1927). In an unremarkable career Knight had a career ERA of 6.85 to go with a 10-18 record. Knight lived to the age of 81 passing away in 1976.

Portland native and lifelong resident Syl Johnson pitched in the bottom of the 8th inning of Game 1 of the 1928 World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals (the Cardinals were swept by the Yankees). He became the first Oregonian to appear in a World Series game. Johnson pitched in two more World Series in 1930 World Series (another loss, this time to the Philadelphia Athletics). In 1931 the Cardinals finally won the World Series, making Johnson the first Oregonian to win a championship.

1930s

1930:
Gordon Jones is born in Portland on April 2nd. He debuted on August 6, 1954. Jones pitched for the Cardinals, Giants, Orioles, Athletics, Houston Colt .45’s. His rookie campaign was his best going 4-4 with a 2.00 ERA.

1932:
The Beavers win their sixth PCL crown.

Tom Parrott passes away at the age of 63 in Dundee (see 1884).

1934:
Bobby Gene Smith is born in Hood River on May 28th. He debuted on April 16, 1957. Smith played seven seasons (1957-65) for the Cardinals, Phillies, Mets, Cubs, Cardinals, and Angels. Bobby Gene hit .234 during his career with 13 home runs.

Walter McCredie dies on July 29, 1934 in Portland, OR. McCredie is considered the “founding father” of the Portland Beavers having managed and played with the team during its inception. He played one season in the Majors with the Brooklyn Superbas in 56 games. He hit .324.

1936:
The Beavers win their seventh Pacific Coast League title.

1937:
Jim Small is born in Portland on March 8th. He debuted on June 22, 1955. Small played 4 seasons (1955-58) with Detroit and the Kansas City A’s.

1938:
Jim Dickson is born on April 20th in Portland. He debuted on July 2, 1963. Dickson pitched in the Majors for 4 seasons (1963-66) with Houston, Cincinnati and the Kansas City Athletics. Dickson’s career record was 5-3 with a 4.36 ERA.

1939:
Dick Smith is born in Lebanon on May 17th. He debuted on July 20, 1963. Smith played in the Majors for three seasons (1963-65) with two teams the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit .218 during his career.

1940s

1940:
Mickey Lolich is born in Portland on September 12th. He debuted on May 12, 1963. Lolich was a three-time All-Star, each time with the Detroit Tigers. The brilliant lefty went 19-11 with a 3.14 ERA in 1969, 25-14 with a 2.92 ERA and an American League-leading 308 Ks in 1971, and 22-14 with a 2.50 ERA in 1972. He pitched in 16 Major League seasons with three teams, mostly with Detroit before finishing his career with the Yankees and Padres. The peak of his career was 1968 when he led the Detroit Tigers to a World Series championship over Bob Gibson’s St. Louis Cardinals. Lolich won 217 games in his career, striking out 2832 batters. His career ERA was 3.44.

Rod Miller is born in Portland on January 16th. He debuted on September 28, 1957. Miller had one career at-bat for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957 (their last season in New York), failing to reach base safely.

1942:
Theodore Norbert leads the PCL in home runs with 20, batting .378 in the process.

Lyle Bigbee dies in Portland on August 5 at the age of 48 (see 1893).

Jim Rooker is born on September 23 in Lakeview. He debuted on June 30, 1968. The lefty pitched for thirteen seasons (1968-80) with Detroit, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Rooker retired with a 3.46 ERA and a 103-109 record. He was a member of the 1979 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing one run in eight-and-two-thirds innings.

1943:
Theodore Norbert hits 28 home runs to again win the PCL home run crown.

1944
: Jim Hibbs is born in Klamath Falls on September 10th. He debuted on April 12, 1967. Hibbs went 0-3 with two strikeouts in his only Major League at-bats for the 1967 California Angels.

Hub Pernoll passes away in Grants Pass on February 18th at the age of 55.

1945:
Marvin Owen manages Portland to its eighth PCL title. It is Portland’s last PCL crown for 38 years. The league’s All-Star Game is held in Portland and the North wins 13-3 over the Southern All-Stars in front of 4,550 spectators.

1946:
Harvey Storey splits his season between the Los Angeles Angels and the Portland Beavers, hitting .326 to win the batting crown. He is the last Beavers’ player to win a league batting title.

Johnny Pesky of Portland becomes the first Oregonian to make the All-Star team, representing the host Red Sox in the midsummer classic. He goes hitless in the 12-0 American League win at Fenway Park. Later that season the Red Sox great became the first Oregonian to get a hit in a World Series game.

Ron Lolich is born in Portland on September 19th. He debuted on July 18, 1971. Lolich played for three Major League seasons as an outfielder with 1971 White Sox and 1972-73 Cleveland Indians. He hit .211 for his career with four home runs in 228 At-Bats.

1947:
Thomas Bridges no-hits the San Francisco Seals in a 2-0 Portland win. Bridges came to Portland after a 17-season (1930-1946) Major League career with the Detroit Tigers. Bridges won 20+ Games 3 seasons in a row (1934-36) and was a six-time All-Star. He led the American League in wins with 23 in 1936. He pitched in four different Fall Classics for Detroit (the Tigers won two of them), going 4-1 with a 3.52 ERA in World Series play. His career record was 194-138 with a 3.57 ERA.

Darcy Fast is born in Dallas on March 10th. He debuted on June 15, 1968. Fast pitched 10 innings over eight games for the 1968 Cubs.

Terry Ley is born in Portland on February 21st. He debuted on August 20, 1971. Lee pitched in six games for 1971 Yankees and did not earn a decision during his brief stint in the Majors.

1948:
Bob Beall is born on April 24th in Portland. He debuted on May 12, 1975. Beall played for the Atlanta Braves for parts of four seasons (1975, 1978-79) and the Pirates for a handful of games in 1980.

Dave Kingman is born in Pendleton on December 21st. Dave debuted on July 30, 1971. One of the most prodigious sluggers of the 1970s and early 1980s, Kingman belted 442 home runs and whiffed 1816 times during his career. Kingman had a tendency to wear out his welcome, so it’s no surprise that he played for eight teams—both New York teams, every California team except the Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs—during his 16-season career. Kingman made three All-Star teams (1976 with the Mets, 36 home runs; 1979 with Chicago, 48 home runs and 115 RBI; and 1980, again with the Cubs). “Kong” has the distinction of being the man with the most home runs that is Hall of Fame eligible not in the Hall of Fame. Jose Canseco, who smacked 20 more home runs than Kingman, will take over that dubious distinction in 2006.

Wayne Twitchell is born in Portland on March 10th. He debuted on September 7, 1970. Wayne pitched for ten seasons in the Majors (1970-79) for Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Montreal, the New York Mets and Montreal. Twitchell made the 1973 All-Star team with Philadelphia going 13-9 with a 2.50 ERA. Twitchell ended his career 17 games under .500 despite a 3.98 ERA.

1950s

1951:
Dave Roberts is born on February 17 in Lebanon. He debuted on June 7, 1972. Roberts played for San Diego, Texas, Houston and Philadelphia between 1972 and 1982. Roberts hit 21 home runs during the 1972 season with San Diego. Roberts retired with 49 home runs and a .239 average.

1952:
Charles “Red” Adams wins the PCL ERA title at 2.17.Adams pitched in eight games for the 1946 Chicago Cubs.

Terry Cornutt is born on October 2nd in Roseburg. He debuted on April 9, 1977. Cornutt pitched for the 1977 and 1978 San Francisco Giants, going 1-2 with a 3.61 career ERA.

1953:
Royce Lint leads the PCL in winning percentage by going 22-10 (.688). Lint pitched in 30 games for the 1954 St. Louis Cardinals, going 3-3 with one shutout. In his only major league season his ERA was 4.86.

Howie Haworth passes away in Troutdale on January 28th at the age of 59 (see 1893).

Larry Andersen is born May 6, 1953 in Portland. A fifteen-year minor-league pitcher, Andersen began his Major League career in 1975 with Cleveland, where he shuttled back and forth to Triple-A through 1979. He was picked up by the Mariners in 1981 and led the team in ERA that season with a 2.66 average. In the end, he pitched two more seasons in the Majors than the minors, hurling for seventeen seasons with Cleveland, Seattle, Philadelphia, Houston, Boston and San Diego. He was a key bullpen pitcher in ’86 when the Astros won the National League West. Andersen pitched for both of the Phillies most recent National League pennant-winning teams in 1983 and 1993. Both teams lost in the World Series: the ’83 Phillies fell to Baltimore and the ’93 squad lost on Joe Carter’s memorable Game 6 home run off Mitch Williams. In 1990, the Red Sox made one of the most infamous trades of the last fifty years, acquiring Andersen from Houston for Jeff Bagwell, then a prospect in the Boston farm system. Andersen and the Red Sox lost in the American League Championship Series to Oakland, and the pitcher departed in free agency for San Diego after the season. Bagwell, meanwhile, is a future Hall of Fame first baseman who won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1994.

1954:
Robert Alexander throws a seven-inning no-hitter against Oakland in a 3-0 Portland Beavers’ victory. Alexander pitched for the 1955 Baltimore Orioles and the 1957 Cleveland Indians. His brief career record was 1-1 with a 10.64 ERA.

Rob Dressler is born on February 2 in Portland. He debuted on September 7, 1975. Dressler played from 1975-80 with three teams San Francisco, St. Louis and Seattle. In 1980 Dressler struck out a career high 50 while going 4-10 with a 3.97 ERA. He completed his career with a 11-23 record and a 4.17 ERA.

John Harris is born in Portland on September 13th. He debuted on September 26, 1979. Harris played from 1979-81 for the California Angels, hitting .258 with five career homers.

1956:
The Portland Beavers become permanent tenants of Civic Stadium in Portland. The 2nd PCL All-Star Game is played in Portland in front of 10,437 with the South winning 10-5.

Civic/ Multnomah Stadium/ PGE Park: Located on 1844 SW Morrison St., (between on SW 18th and SW 20th Avenues on Salmon Street, PGE Park opened as Civic Stadium in October 1926 and was used exclusively for football until the 1956 season when the Beavers moved into the facility.

Baseball was first played in 1893 when the area known was known as Tanner Creek Gulch (a tannery was on the site previously). The first group to play there was the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club so, naturally, the park was named Multnomah Field. In 1894 the site hosted a team of barnstorming Major Leaguers who beat the Multnomah team by a score of 22-4.

The park first sat 3,000 spectators but in the early 20th century a steel grandstand was built, increasing the capacity to more than 10,000. The Giants (Beavers) played their first games here in 1905 during the Lewis and Clark Exposition while Vaughn Street Stadium was used as a track venue.
The Grandstand melted during a fire that leveled seven blocks of Portland in 1910. The park was rebuilt the following year but didn’t fit the needs of Portland’s growing population.

In 1926, a new stadium was built on the same site that seated 28,000. The first event was a football game between the University of Washington SunDodgers (later Huskies) and the University of Oregon Webfooters (later Ducks. The University of Washington won the game 23-9 in front of over 24,000 spectators.

During the 1930s the Oregon Kennel Club approved dog racing at the facility. At the time had no major tenant. Occasional college football games were played at the park until 1956 when the Beavers arrived, and the facility was renamed Civic Stadium.

The Beavers transplanted the grass from Vaughn St. Stadium to Civic Stadium, but that final link to the old park quickly vanished in 1969 when the stadium became the first outdoor facility to install Astroturf. The park was remodeled once in the 1970s with a new roof being added and football pressboxes being moved from the top of the roof to right below it.

In 1995 the facility became the largest park in Class A, and AA baseball when the Rockies moved from Bend. Five years later the Albuquerque Dukes announced they would move to Portland for the 2001 season. The park underwent a major renovation including Nexturf as the new playing surface, luxury boxes, and the installation of club seating. Naming rights were sold to Portland General Electric and Civic Stadium was renamed PGE Park. The park now holds 20,000 with room for expansion as a temporary home for a relocated Major League team. The stadium’s dimensions are 317 to leftfield with a 25-foot wall, 405 to center with an 8- foot wall, and 320 to rightfield, also with an 8-foot wall.

Steve Baker is born August 30 in Eugene. He debuted on May 25, 1978. The unwieldy but explosive fastball pitcher started in Detroit in 1978 and then split time with Oakland and St. Louis through ’83.

Jeff Lahti is born in Oregon City on October 8th. He debuted on June 27, 1982. Lahti played in the Majors from 1982-86, spending his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Used as a reliever, Lahti won a World Series ring his rookie season and pitched for a pennant-winning Cardinals team in 1985. His career record was 17-10 with 20 saves (19 of them coming in 1985) and a 3.12 ERA.

Dale Murphy is born in Portland on March 12th. Dale debuted on September 13, 1976. Murphy was a seven time All-Star (1980, 1982-87) and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player (1982, 1983). A career National Leaguer, Murphy led the senior circuit in home runs twice (1984: 36, 1985: 37) and he drove in more than 100 runs on five occasions, leading the league in that category during his two MVP seasons (1982: 109, 1983: 121, 1984: 100, 1985: 111, and 1987: 105). He hit 398 home runs in his career and drove in 1,266 runs, racking up 2,111 hits. Murphy is considered by many to be one of the top-5 MLB players of the 1980s decade (also see 1982, 1983, 1984).

Cliff Speck is born in Portland on August 8th. He debuted on July 30, 1986. Speck pitched for the 1986 Braves going 2-1 in 13 games with a 4.13 ERA.

1957:
Greg Brock is born in McMinnville on June 14th. He debuted on September 1, 1982. Brock played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1982-86 where he hit a career high 21 HRs for the 1985 National League West Champions. He moved on to Milwaukee and played with the Brewers from 1987-1991. In his first season with the Brewers he drove in a career-high 85 runs.

Tom Gorman is born on December 16th in Portland. He debuted on September 2, 1981. Gorman pitched for seven seasons (1981-87) with four National League teams: Montreal, New York, Philadelphia and San Diego. In 1984, Gorman went 6-0 with a 2.97 ERA as a reliever for a contending Mets team. His career ERA ended up at 4.34 with a 12-10 record.

1958:
The Dodgers and Giants move from New York to the West Coast, effectively transforming the PCL from baseball’s third major league into a AAA classification league.

Tom Dodd is born in Portland on August 15th. He debuted on July 25, 1986.
Dodd played in eight games for the 1986 Orioles hitting .231 with one home run.

Mike Martin is born in Portland on December 3rd. He debuted on August 15, 1986. Martin had only 13 at-bats for the 1986 Cubs, securing one hit in his brief career.

1959:
Danny Ainge is born March 17, 1959 in Eugene. He debuted on May 21, 1979. Best known as a guard with great NBA playoff teams of the ‘80s and early ‘90s (including the Celtics, Trail Blazers and Suns), Ainge’s professional sports career with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979 as a utility player.

Wally Backman is born September in Hillsboro. He debuted on September 2, 1980. Known best as an outstanding number two hitter behind fiery leadoff-man Lenny Dykstra, Backman started in 1980 with the Mets, and was a key figure in the memorable 1986 World Series against the Red Sox. In Game 3 he led off the ninth inning with a bunt single and scored on Dykstra's homer as the Mets won 6-5. In Game 5, he led off the 12th with an infield hit, advanced to second on a wild pickoff throw, later scoring the winning run on Gary Carter's single.. Backman split time with the Mets, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and ended his career in Seattle in 1993 after 14 seasons.

Ken Williams passes away at the age of 68 on January 22nd in his hometown of Grants Pass (see 1890).

1960s

1960:
Jay Baller is born October 6 in Stayton. Jay debuted on September 19, 1982. A middle reliever who started in the Eastern League, Baller was picked up by the Phillies where he made four appearances in 1982. He resurfaced with the Cubs in 1985 where he stayed through ’87. He pitched briefly again in 1990 with the Royals and again in Philadelphia in 1992.

Harold Reynolds is born in Eugene on November 26. He debuted on September 2, 1983. The speedy second baseman played for ten seasons for the Mariners (1983-92) and one season each for the Padres (1993) and the California Angels (1994). He led the AL in steals in 1987 with 60, the first of two consecutive All-Star appearances. He hit .300 in 1989. Reynolds hit .258 for his career and stole 250 bases. He is currently a commentator on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight.”

Jim Wilson is born in Corvallis on December 29th. He debuted on September 13, 1985. The first baseman/designated hitter played in parts of the 1985 and 1989 seasons with Cleveland and Seattle.

1961:
The Beavers become a Major League farm team for the first time joining the St. Louis Cardinals family as their AAA team.

Phil Ouellette was born on November 10th in Salem. He debuted on September 10, 1986. Ouellette played in 10 games for the 1986 Giants going 4-23 for a career .174 Batting Average.

Tom Edens is born in Ontario on June 9th. He debuted on June 2, 1987. Edens career record is 19-12 with a 3.86 ERA. He pitched for 7 seasons (1987, 1990-1995) with 6 teams (Mets, Brewers, Twins, Astros, Phillies, and Cubs).

Mark Parent is born on September 16th in Ashland. He debuted on September 20, 1986. Parent played for 13 seasons (1986-98) with seven different teams (Padres, Rangers, Orioles, Cubs, Pirates, Cubs, Tigers, Orioles, Phillies). During his career he hit .214 with 53 HRs.

1962:
Gene Oliver leads the Pacific Coast League with 36 home runs. The PCL All-Star Game is hosted in Portland for the third and most recent time. The All-Stars beat the Los Angeles Angels (not to be confused with the American League team) 6-5. The Beavers become the Kansas City Athletics AAA team, a partnership that lasts 2 seasons.

Oliver played for ten major league seasons starting in 1959 with St. Louis, the Braves (both in Milwaukee and Atlanta), Philadelphia, Boston Red Sox and the infamous 1969 Chicago Cubs. His best season came in 1965 with the Milwaukee Braves when he hit 21 home runs.

Scott Anderson is born on August 1 in Corvallis. He debuted on April 8, 1987. Anderson bounced around the majors and minors between 1987 and 1995, pitching for Texas, Montreal and Kansas City in his career.

1963:
Lance Blankenship is born in Portland on December 6th. He debuted on September 4, 1988. Lance played for six Major Leagues seasons (1988-1993) all with the Oakland Athletics. Blankenship was a valuable bench player for the 1989 World Champion A’s, going 1-2 the sweep of the Giants.

Don Wakamatsu is born in Hood River on February 22nd. He debuted on May 22, 1991. Wakamatsu had 31 at-bats over 18 games as a backup catcher for the 1991 Chicago White Sox.

1964:
The Beavers become the AAA team of the Cleveland Indians.

Thomas Kelly throws a no-hitter against the Spokane Indians in a 5-0 Portland victory. Luis Tiant sets a PCL record for winning percentage, going 15-1 (.938) during the season.

Carson Bigbee passes away in Portland on October 17th at the age of 69 (see 1895).

Ed Coleman passes away at age 62 on August 5th in Oregon City (see 1901).

Mitch Lyden is born in Portland on December 14. He debuted on June 16, 1993. Lyden came to the plate ten times during the Florida Marlins’ inaugural season of 1993. He had three hits, including one home run, that year.

Rob Mallicoat is born in St. Helens on November 16th. He debuted on September 11, 1987. Mallicoat pitched for the Houston Astros during parts of 3 seasons (1987, 1991-92). His career record was 0-2.

1965:
Thomas Kelly leads the Pacific Coast League in winning percentage with a 16-3 (.843) record.

Scott Lewis is born in Grants Pass on December 5th. He debut on September 25, 1990. Lewis pitched five seasons (1990-95) for the California Angels, finishing 9-9 with a 5.01 ERA.

Steve Olin is born in Portland on October 4th. He debuted on July 29, 1989. The sidearm reliever pitched 4 seasons (1989-92) for the Cleveland Indians. Steve had a career year in 1992 with 29 saves and a 2.34 ERA. Olin was on his way to becoming one of the games most dominant closers when he was tragically killed in a boat accident during spring training that also claimed the life of teammate Tim Crews on the night of March 22, 1993.

1966: Tony Barron is born on Aug. 17, 1966 in Portland. He debuted on June 2, 1996. Barron played two Major League seasons in 1996 and 1997 as a reserve outfielder. He had just one plate appearance with the ’96 Expos before going to the Philadelpha the next season, where played in 57 games, all in right field. He was a career .284 hitter for 58 games.

Scott Brosius is born August 15 in Hillsboro. He debuted on August 7, 1991. Brosius had never even seen a Major League game when the Oakland A's drafted him in the 20th round in 1987. His single-A team in the Oakland organization was invited to Milwaukee County Stadium to play the Brewers' Single-A affiliate.

Scott was called up to the A’s on his father’s birthday in 1991, slated to play third base. When then-starter Carney Lansford came off the injured list, Brosius was moved into the outfield for most of the 1993 season (70 games) while Craig Paquette and Kevin Seitzer split time at the hot corner after Lansford’s retirement. This tandem didn’t seem to be the answer for Oakland, so Brosius returned to the infield in 1994.

Working with hitting coach (and former manager) Jim Lefebvre, Brosius improved his hitting by flattening his swing. Scott’s outstanding defense that stood out on the diamond (Lansford, who had joined the Oakland coaching staff, dubbed him "Flypaper.") "I'd rather save a run than produce a run," Brosius later remarked.

In 1996 Scott hit his stride both at third and at the plate. He started the season with just one error in his first 104 chances, but was forced to miss seven weeks of the season after a Mark Gubicza fastball fractured his right arm in early May. At the time, Brosius was hitting .351 with eight homers and 21 RBIs. He finished his exceptional season with 22 homers and 71 RBIs to go along with a fantastic .304 batting average, second on the team to Mark McGwire's .312 mark. He also led the American League with a .365 batting average with runners in scoring position. But Brosius' solid totals masked a late-season slump that saw him make eight errors in his last 57 games and hit just .213 in September.

The following year, Brosius’ problems continued. In mid-April, Oakland hitting coach Denny Walling discovered a mechanical flaw in Scott’s stance, yet Brosius had already lost the confidence that characterized his earlier success. Despite Walling's correction, Brosius finished the month with a .181 batting average and followed it up with an embarrassing .147 mark in May. Deep into June, with Brosius' average mired at .195, Frank Blackman of the San Francisco Examiner noted that Brosius had "become an expert at the helmet bounce and the bat fling." Some critics charged that Brosius' new $2.55 million contract was to blame; Brosius responded with the admission, "When I get my paychecks, I feel bad."

Obviously, so did the A's management. "There are a lot of adjectives I could use to describe Scott's season, and 'bizarre' would be one of the more benign," said Oakland General Manager Sandy Alderson in June. "At some point it's not funny anymore." With prospects Mark Bellhorn and Eric Chavez waiting in the wings, Brosius' days in the Bay Area were numbered. A recurring knee injury that sidelined him late in the season sealed his fate with the team. By the end of the season, Brosius' average had fallen 101 points from the year before, to .203. Only three other players in history had had worse dropoffs—Norm Cash (1961-62), Max Carey (1925-1926), and Doc Farrell (1927-28). After the season, Brosius was sent to New York as the player-to-be-named-later in a deal that brought starter Kenny Rogers to Oakland.

The Yankees, who were content to reduce their payroll (they had included Rogers' 1998 salary in the deal) expected Brosius to platoon with either Dale Sveum or Mike Lowell at third, having traded Charlie Hayes to San Francisco Giants before the start of the season. In a remarkable comeback, Brosius hit .300 with 19 homers and a personal-best 98 RBI as the Yankees surged to 114 wins: the most in American League history. In the process, Brosius was named to his first All-Star Game ever. His father, six weeks removed from colon cancer surgery, and his grandfather both attended the game at Coors Field.

In the World Series, Brosius' star shined even brighter. He hit .471 with two homers and six RBIs in the Yanks' four-game sweep of San Diego; his two consecutive homers in Game 3 helped the Yankees overcome a three-run, seventh-inning deficit and win the game. The second, off Padres closer Trevor Hoffman (who had converted 53 of 54 save chances during the regular season) put New York out in front by two runs. In Game Four, with his club clinging to a one-run lead in the eighth, Brosius poked a bases-loaded single over a drawn-in infield to score Derek Jeter from third. After fielding the series' final out, a champagne-soaked Brosius was named World Series MVP. Ever humble, with his teammates chanting his name in the background, Brosius refused to take credit for the win, instead thanking his teammates for the opportunity to play on baseball's biggest stage.

Brosius' 1999 season was bittersweet. Throughout the season, he took time off from the team to be with his ailing father and his production at the plate dropped. Despite the distraction he was sparkling on defense, winning his first Gold Glove. Though his father died in September, he helped lead the Yankees to a second World Series Championship. He played two more seasons for New York, winning yet another World Series ring in 2000 and retiring after the 2001 season. Scott Brosius was the Oregon Baseball Campaign interview for Nov. 2002.

Eric Gunderson is born on March 29th in Portland. He debuted on April 11, 1990. Gunderson pitched for ten Major League seasons with San Francisco, Seattle, the New York Mets, Boston, Texas and Toronto. Gunderson finished his career with an 8-11 record with a 4.95 ERA.

John Jaha is born in Portland on May 27th. He debuted on July 9, 1992.
Jaha played for ten Major League seasons with Milwaukee and Oakland as a first baseman and designated hitter. He hit 34 home runs for the Brewers in 1996 and made the American League All-Star team with the Athletics for his 35-homer, 111-RBI performance in 1999. Injury-prone during his career, Jaha wrapped up his career with 141 home runs.

1967:
On the Fourth of July, Ralph Custer of the Beavers throws a seven-inning no-hitter, defeating the Denver Zephyrs, 1-0.

Tom McGraw is born in Portland on December 8th. He debuted on May 7, 1997. McGraw made two scoreless relief appearances for the 1997 Cardinals.

Mark Small is born on November 12th in Portland. He debuted on April 5, 1996. Small pitched sixteen games for Houston in 1996.

1968:
Mickey Lolich becomes the first Oregonian to homer in World Series play a with a Game 2 home run (ironically the only homer of Lolich’s career). Lolich went 3-0 in the series with a 1.67 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 27 innings, earning him the World Series MVP—the first Oregonian to win the award.

Kent Bottenfield is born on November 14th in Portland. Kent debuted on July 6, 1992. Bottenfield pitched for nine Major League seasons (1992-2001) with Montreal, Colorado, San Francisco, the Cubs, Colorado, St. Louis, Anaheim, Philadelphia and Houston. He surprising 1999 season landed him a spot on the National League All-Star team; he finished 18-7 with a 3.97 ERA for the Cardinals that season. His career record was 46-49 with a 4.54 ERA.

1969:
Russ Nagelson leads the PCL with 24 HRs. Major League Baseball enters the Pacific Northwest for the first time with the ill-fated Seattle Pilots, who moved to Milwaukee in 1970.

Nagelson played for three major league seasons (1968-70), dividing his 56 games between Ohio’s Major League teams, hitting .211 for his career.

Scott Hatteberg is born in Salem on December 14th. He debuted on September 8, 1995. Hatteberg played for the Red Sox from 1995-2001 and has been with Oakland since 2002. As a first baseman, catcher and designated hitter, Hatteberg is a career .271 hitter with 49 HRs. In 2002 he hit a career high 15 homers, batting .280 for the division champion A’s.

1970s

1970:
The Beavers become the first AAA team in the history of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Jeff Barry is born on September 22nd in Medford. Jeff debuted on June 9, 1995. Barry played fifteen games for the 1995 Mets and the 1998 Rockies. Barry’s best season came in 1999 when he hit all five of his big-league homers, playing in 74 games with Colorado.

Dan Carlson is born on January 26th in Portland. He debuted on September 15, 1996. Dan played 4 Major League seasons (1996-99) with three teams (Giants, Devil Rays, and Diamondbacks). He holds the distinction of being the first man to play for both of the 1998 Expansion teams (AZ and TB).

Ed Mensor passes away in Salem on April 20th at the age of 83 (see 1886).

1971:
Travis Baptist is born Dec. 30, 1971. Baptist pitched 27 innings for the 1998 Minnesota Twins.

The Minnesota Twins become the Beavers new parent club. Future Major Leaguer Eric Soderholm hits a PCL record 4 Grand Slams in a season.

At one of the greatest All-Star Games in history, Portland native Mickey Lolich gets credit for a save, nailing down a 5-4 AL win at Tiger Stadium becoming the first Oregonian pitcher to do so in the Mid-Summer Classic

Jamie Burke is born in Roseburg on September 24th. Burke has one Major League in five at-bats, all with the Anaheim Angels in 2001.

Brian L. Hunter is born in Portland on March 5th. Brian debuted on June 27, 1994. A journeyman outfielder, Hunter has played in the Majors since 1994 and has played with Houston, Seattle, Colorado, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia. A menace on the basepaths, he led the American League in steals in 1997 and 1999. Through 2002 he had stolen 260 career steals to complement a .264 career batting average.

1972:
The Beavers become the AAA team of the Cleveland Indians.

Alan Embree is born in The Dalles on January 23rd. He debuted on September 15, 1992. Embree was one of the premier left handed specialists of the late 1990s, pitching in postseason play with four different teams the 1995 and 1996 Indians, 1997 Braves and 2000 Giants). Embree has pitched in the majors since 1992, going 22-25 with a 4.43 ERA, also pitching for Arizona, Boston, San Diego and the Chicago White Sox.

Travis Smith is born in Springfield on November 7th. Smith has pitched during two Major League seasons—1998 with the Brewers, 2002 with St. Louis)—with a 6.91 ERA in thirteen games.

Suds Sutherland passes away at the age of 78 on May 11th in Portland (see 1894).

1973:
The Beavers transfer to Spokane.

Brady Clark is born in Portland on April 18th. Clark made his debut in 2000 with Cincinnati and was traded to the New York Mets in 2002.

Mike Thurman is born in Corvallis on July 22nd. He debuted on September 2, 1997. Thurman made his debut in 1997 and has pitched for the Expos and Yankees. Thurman has started 87 games and holds a 26-36 record with a 5.05 ERA.

1974:
Richie Sexson is born in Portland on December 29th. He debuted on September 14, 1997. Sexson is becoming an elite player in the game today, making the All-Star team in 2002 on the heels of a 45-home run season in with the 2001 Brewers. Richie started his career in with Cleveland in 1997 before a mid-season trade sent him to Milwaukee in 2000. Sexson hit 146 home runs in the first six seasons of his career, compiling a .273 batting average.

1977:
Ben Petrick is born in Salem on April 7th. Petrick has played in the Majors since 1999, batting .265 with 23 dingers and 82 RBI. Petrick is considered one of the best young defensive catchers in the game today.

Aaron Rowand is born in Portland on August 29th. Rowand made his debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2001 and hit .268 with eleven home runs in the first two seasons of his young career as a reserve outfielder.

1978:
Portland rejoins the PCL as an expansion team and the AAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

1979:
The Pittsburgh Pirates become the parent club of the Beavers.

Rudy Kallio passes away in Newport at the age of 86 on April 6th (see 1892).

Steve Bechler is born on November 18th in Medford. He debuted on September 6, 2002. Steve made his Major League debut in 2002 with Baltimore pitching in three games as a reliever. Sadly, he died a heat-related death during spring training with the Orioles on February 17, 2003.

1980s

1980:
Rick Rhoden throws a seven-inning no-hitter against the Phoenix Firebirds in a 1-0 Portland victory.

Rhoden pitched for sixteen seasons in the Majors (1974-89) with Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, the Yankees and Houston. Rick made two All-Star teams—1976 and 1986—and won a World Series ring with the 1979 “We are Family” Pirates. Rhoden concluded his career with a solid 3.59 ERA and a 151-125 record. Always a good golfer, Rhoden went on to the PGA tour where he competed in Celebrity Golf tournaments across the country, becoming the all-time leading money winner in Celebrity Golf. His best single-round score is a 63 and he has six holes-in-one to his credit.

Curt Coleman passes away at age 93 in Newport (see 1887).

1981:
Luis Tiant throws a seven-inning no-hitter against the Spokane Indians, winning 2-0.

Son of Negro League and Cuban Baseball great Luis Tiant Sr., Luis Tiant pitched in nineteen Major League seasons (1964-82) with Cleveland, Minnesota, the Yankees, Pittsburgh, California, and most notably, the Boston Red Sox. Thirteen times Luis he won ten games or more. With the Red Sox he pitched in the epic 1975 World Series, winning two (Games 1 and 4) of his three starts. He earned a no-decision in the historic sixth game, won in the bottom of the twelfth inning on Carlton’s Fisk home run over the Green Monster. A three-time All-Star (1968, 1974 and 1976), he was known throughout his career as an ultimate clutch pitcher. He retired with a 229-172 record and a 3.30 ERA. Tiant attempted to resuscitate his in 1989 with the ill-fated “Senior Baseball League.”

1982:
Marvin Owen led the Beavers to their ninth and most recent Pacific Coast League championship.

Portland native and Atlanta Braves outfielder Dale Murphy becomes the first Oregon-born player to win the Most Valuable Player award, leading the Atlanta Braves to the National League West title. Murphy hit .281 with 23 home runs and 109 RBI.

1983:
The Philadelphia Phillies become the Beavers parent club.

Dale Murphy becomes the first Oregonian to get a hit and score a run in an All-Star Game during the 13-3 American League rout of the Nationals at the 50th anniversary All-Star Game at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Murphy went on to win the National League MVP for the second consecutive year with a .302 average, 36 home runs and 121 RBI.

1984:
At San Francisco’s Candlestick Park Dale Murphy becomes the first Oregonian to hit a home run in an All-Star Game with an 8th inning blast off of Detroit reliever and American League MVP Willie Hernandez in a 3-1 National League victory.

1985:
Syl Johnson passes away in Portland on February 20th at the age of 84 (see 1900).

Wes Schulmerich passes away at the age of 83 in Corvallis on June 26th (see 1901).

1986:
Paul Gehrman passes away in Bend at the age of 74 on October 23rd (see 1912).

1987:
The Minnesota Twins become the Beavers parent club.

1990s

1990:
Bernardo Brito wins the PCL HR title with 25 bombs. Michael Cook leads the league with a 3.20 ERA.

Brito played for three Major League seasons (1992-93, 1995) all with the Twins, only playing in 40 games. In his big-league career Brito never equaled the power he showed in the Rose City, hitting just .219 with 5 HRs and 12 RBIs during his career.

1991:
Bernardo Brito wins his second consecutive PCL home run with 27 long balls, tying for the league lead with Luis Medina of Colorado Springs.

Bill Bevens dies in Salem on October 26th at the age of 75. (see 1916)

1993:
Pat Mahomes leads the PCL with a 3.20 ERA. Portland makes its most recent PCL Championship Series appearance losing to the Tucson Toros in six games.

Pat Mahomes: Pat has played in the Major Leagues for since 1992 with the Twins, Red Sox, Mets, Rangers, and most recently, the Cubs. A starter earlier in his career, Mahomes has turned into an all-purpose pitcher as his career progressed. His career record of 42-38 and 5.49 ERA are misleading as he has turned himself into a valuable left-handed reliever.

1994
The Beavers move to Salt Lake City.

1995:
The Bend Rockies of the Single A Northwest League move to Portland.

1996:
Dr. Lynn Lashbrook and a group of civic boosters begin a campaign to bring Major League Baseball to Portland.

Lynn Lashbrook: Becoming a sports agent and consultant in 1993, Dr. Lashbrook enjoyed a successful twenty years in college athletics as an athletic director, advisor and coach. During his tenure at the University of Missouri as Assistant Athletics Director, the football team led the Big 8 Conference in graduation rate. Lashbrook also served as President of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics in 1986. He concluded his career in college athletics as Director of Athletics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 1988 to 1993.
Dr. Lashbrook is an Assistant Professor at Eastern Oregon University and an adjunct professor at Oregon State University. He has earned a reputation as a leader in addressing issues that face the world of athletics. He lectures on sports agents and sports business nationally and internationally. Lashbrook began the Oregon Baseball Campaign in 1996 as a grassroots campaign to bring MLB to Oregon.
Bill Sayles passes away in Lincoln City at the age of 79 on November 20th (see 1917).

1998:
Hillsboro native Scott Brosius hits a pair of home runs including a eighth inning game winner off relief ace Trevor Hoffman in route to a World Series MVP award and a Yankees’ sweep of San Diego.

2000s

2001:
The Albuquerque Dukes move to Portland to play at a remodeled Civic Stadium now known as PGE Park. The team revives the name Beavers and becomes the AAA affiliate of the San Diego Padres.

2003:
Steve Bechler dies a heat-related death during spring training with the Orioles on February 17, 2003.