Baseball in Los Angeles

Until the Dodgers moved west in 1958, Los Angeles was home to two AAA PCL minor league teams. The Los Angeles Angels, and the Hollywood Stars. The PCL formed in 1903. The first six teams were the Angels, Portland Beavers, San Francisco Seals, Oakland Oaks, Sacramento Solons and the Seattle Indians.

The Angels played in those days at what was known as Washington Park. It was also known as Chutes Park. This would be their home from 1903-1925. The Angels were also known at times as the Looloos, and Seraphs. They were pretty successful winning pennants in 03-05-07-08-1916 and 1918. From 1915 to 1921 they were owned by John Powers who was a Los Angeles socialite. They were managed by HOFer, Frank Chance of Tinker to Evers to Chance fame.

In 1921 the team was purchased by William Wrigley Jr, who as we all know was the owner of Wrigley Gum, and the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley could not convince the city to make the improvements he wanted to Washington Park, so he started construction on his own 21,000 seat stadium in what now is South East Los Angeles at Avalon and 42nd Place.

The first real cross town rival of the Angels was the Vernon Tigers. The Tigers played in the PCL from 1909 to 1925. They won back to back pennants in 1919 and 1920. There was a little quirk with the PCL that allowed them to play more than 170 games, and some seasons as many as 200. The Angels first year in the league, 1903 they won 133 and lost 78 as the league’s first champions.

One of the attractions of the Tigers playing in Vernon was that it was one of only two cities in Los Angeles county where the sale of alcohol was legal. So up until prohibition Vernon was a popular destination for fans. In 1919 the team was purchased by silent screen star, Roscoe, (Fatty) Arbuckle. On opening day in 1919, there was a preliminary game in which Arbuckle, Tom Mix, and Buster Keaton all participated. I would bet that was fun to watch.

But with attendance dropping, the team was sold to SF interests there in 1926, and began play as the Mission Reds. That move prompted the owner of the Salt Lake City Bees to move his team to L.A. and become the Hollywood Stars. They initially played in Wrigley Field.

The rent at Wrigley was doubled and the team moved again in 1938, this time to San Diego where they became the Padres. So, the Mission Reds moved back to LA, and became the Hollywood Stars. Confusing isn’t it? In 1939 the stars were sold to Robert Cobb, who owned the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood and for whom the Cobb salad is named.

Cobb solicited many Hollywood names to become stockholders in his team. One of which fans would recognize easily, one William Frawley, of I Love Lucy fame. He also built his team a park of their own. Gilmore Field, which was in the Fairfax district of L.A. close to Hollywood. It would be just east of where the CBS studios now stand.

The Stars were fairly successful, and were sometimes referred to as the “Twinks”. The rivalry itself with the Angels was sometimes heated. In fact, a full blown brawl broke out at Gilmore Field between the two teams in August of 1953 and lasted more than 30 minutes. It was only stopped when Police Chief, William Parker sent 50 riot police to the park. He had been watching the game on TV. The Stars in their history won 3 PCL titles. 1929, 1930, and 1949.

The teams and the league had continued popularity, but not too many titles to add to their total. In 1956 the Angels, behind their star, Steve Bilko won what would turn out to be their last PCL title. Bringing them to a total of 11.

After the 56 season, Wrigley’s son, Phil, sold the team and the Ft. Worth Panthers to Walter O’Malley for 3,000,000.00 $. Unheard of in those days. O’Malley promised the PCL owners that he intended to run the Angels as a AAA franchise, and he kept his promise……for one year. The motive now as we all know was to claim the Los Angeles area for himself yso he could move the Dodgers west.

When the Dodgers announced they were moving west, a long rumored move, the Angels uprooted and moved to Spokane, Wash and became the Spokane Indians. The Stars left Hollywood and moved back to Salt Lake City to once again become Bees. The Dodgers adopted the interlocking LA for their caps, but kept Dodger blue and white over adding the red the Angels wore.

The Indians played in Spokane until 1972 as the Dodgers top farm team and then moved to Albuquerque N.M. and became the Dukes. They continued to be the Dodgers top farm team until 2000 when they were sold again and moved to Portland to become the Beavers. In 2010, sold once again, they moved to Tucson, and played there for a couple of years before moving to their home since 2014, El Paso Texas, where they are now the El Paso Chihuahuas of the PCL. A Padres affiliate. The PCL has changed a lot since those early days and now is not really just a west coast league.

They have affiliates as far east as Nashville (Sounds). As far north as Seattle (Rainier’s) and as far south as San Antonio (Missions). 16 teams. Sacramento is the only city of the original 6 still having a franchise. PCL teams also played the first night game on June 10, 1930 at Sacramento’s home ballpark. 5 years before it happened at Crosley Field in Cincinnati in 1935.

Many players from the Angels had some MLB time, including Steve Bilko, Sam Crawford, Gavvy Cravath, Gene Mauch, Jimmy Reese, who also was the Babe’s roomie, Andy Pafko, Jigger Statz, one of the best baseball names ever, Dixie Upright….and a couple of really familiar names, Chuck Connors and Tom Lasorda.

Stars who made it to the bigs, Gus Bell, Bobby Bragan, Bobby Doerr, Gene Freese,  Babe Herman holder of the highest BA in Dodger history, Dale Long, Bill Mazeroski, Bob Muesel, member of the 27 Yanks, Lefty O’Doul, won a batting title with the Dodgers in 1931. Mel Queen, Dick (Dr. Strangeglove) Stuart, Lee Walls, also a former Dodger, and Gus Zernial.

The PCL itself has some stellar alumni in the hall, Ted Williams, SD Padres, and Joe DiMaggio, former SF Seal. Tony Lazzeri and Ernie Lombardi also are alumni. One of the better former PCL players today is some guy named Trout who plies his trade for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Someone mentioned this guy before. Seems he might turn out to be pretty good if he keeps it up. Of course all of the home grown Dodgers on the roster today are PCL graduates. One other thing, the 1934 Angels who went 137-50 are considered the # 1 minor league team of all time.