Founded 69 years ago in 1955 as a charter member of the Northwest League, the Emeralds were named in a contest, won in January by 11-year-old Bowen Blair.[3] They won the inaugural pennant as an independent,[4][5][6] and remained in the NWL for fourteen seasons, through 1968. The Emeralds were the first minor-league team to play in Eugene since the disbanding of the Eugene Larks, who played at Bethel Park for just two seasons, 1950 and 1951.[7]
The Emeralds played in northwest Eugene in 4,000-seat Bethel Park, at Roosevelt Boulevard and Maple Street (44°03′52″N123°08′43″W / 44.0644°N 123.1454°W / 44.0644; -123.1454),[8] later torn down for the construction of a highway that wasn't built.[6][9][10] In 1950 and 1951, Bethel Park was the home of the Eugene Larks of the Class DFar West League; its outfield is present-day Lark Park. Its final game in 1968 on August 29 drew 897 fans for a one-hitter and a 7-0 Emeralds win.[11] The NWL changed to a short season league in 1966, and that season opened in Eugene against the Lewiston Broncs. The second pick in the 1966 MLB draft, future hall of famerReggie Jackson played his first professional games at Bethel Park, as a 20-year-old center fielder, following his sophomore season at Arizona State. Hitless in the opener,[12][13] the next game he got his first pro hit, a single in the first, and later a home run to right field in the ninth.[14][15] He was with the Broncs for less than two weeks, then went to Modesto in the California League.[16][17]
Entering Triple-A in 1969, the Emeralds moved from Bethel Park to Civic Stadium. The 6,800-seat facility was owned by the Eugene School District and was built in 1938 as a venue for high school football, which was played there until 1968. Civic Stadium also hosted semi-pro baseball teams, sponsored by local timber companies, until Bethel Park was built in 1950. Facing an outdated stadium and high-maintenance costs,[22] in 2010 the Eugene Emeralds moved into PK Park, the new baseball stadium across town that was built by the University of Oregon. The Emeralds new home, PK Park, is adjacent to Autzen Stadium and near the Willamette River. They share the new facility with the Oregon Ducks collegiate baseball team, whose regular season ends in May. This left an antiquated Civic Stadium without any active tenants. A vacant Civic Stadium was destroyed by arson in 2015.[23]
A new logo, based upon Sasquatch, was adopted by the Emeralds in 2012.[25] In 2013, the Emeralds partnered with Voodoo Doughnut to offer a bacon maple bratwurst as a specialty food item.[26] Following the 2014 season, the Emeralds switched from being an affiliate of the San Diego Padres to the Chicago Cubs, who signed Eugene to a two-year deal through 2016.[27] The player development contract was extended through the 2018 season on June 14, 2016.
In 2016, the Emeralds were awarded two "Golden Bobbleheads" for Minor League Baseball's Best Community Promotion and Best Overall Promotion. The awards were due to their work with Children's Miracle Network and their honorary player that year, HaydenKumle.[28]
The Emeralds won the NWL title in 2018 despite finishing 31–45 (.408), last in the overall standings. They clinched a wild card playoff spot with a 17–21 (.447) record in the second half, second behind Hillsboro, who had finished first in both halves. The Emeralds proceeded to sweep both Hillsboro and Spokane in the postseason en route to the title. Dubbed the "Bad News Ems," the .408 regular season winning percentage was the worst ever for a NWL champion.[29] Following that season, the Emeralds were awarded the 53rd Annual Larry MacPhail Award, this award is in recognition for the franchises top promotional effort.[30]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minor League Baseball season was cancelled. In the winter of 2020 as part the reorganization of minor league baseball, Eugene received an invitation to play as the High-A affiliate of San Francisco Giants.[31] In a further change, they were organized into the High-A West along with five other teams previously of the Northwest League.[32] Eugene ended the 2021 season in first place with a 69–50 record.[33] They then defeated the Spokane Indians, 3–1, to win the High-A West championship.[34] In 2022, the High-A West became known as the Northwest League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[35]
In 2019, the Emeralds unveiled their "Monarcas de Eugene" on-field identity as part of minor league baseball's "Copa de Diversion."[36]
The Emeralds began the process of looking for a new stadium to compete in. Due to the promotion to the High-A level as well as a longer season of baseball, PK Park has no longer become an option to play in. Team officials began discussing with Lane County officials about the feasibility of constructing a new stadium located at the Lane Events Center.[37]
On March 13, 2024, the Eugene City Council voted to place a $15 million bond measure on the ballot for their May 21 primary election. This would partially fund the stadium project's expected cost of over $104 million; however, Lane County administrators had advised a reset in planning before committing to this project. City Councilors had previously required this commitment and financial reports of the stadium's operations. [38][39] The Lane Events Center masterplan did not recommend the Emeralds' stadium because it was too large, requiring removal of the very functional multi-use Indoor Arena, and would detract from fairground operations by hindering profitable events, with an expected annual loss of $200,000. [40]
Playoffs
1974: Defeated Bellingham 2–1 to win league championship.
1975: Defeated Portland 2–0 to win league championship.
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league operated as the High-A West in 2021, then resumed its original moniker in 2022.
The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Spokane plays its home games at Avista Stadium, which opened in 1958 and has a seating capacity of 6,752.
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league entirely based in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area and playing all their home games at Volcanoes Stadium. From 1997 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Northwest League as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. With the reorganization of baseball after the 2020 season, the Volcanoes were not offered a player development license with any Major League Baseball club, though the Volcanoes promised to continue play in 2021, a promise they kept in forming the Mavericks League.
Civic Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, located in Eugene, Oregon. For most of its history it was owned by the Eugene School District. Opened in 1938, the stadium was destroyed by fire in 2015 on June 29.
The Portland Mavericks are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league created in 2021. The entire league, including the Mavericks, will play their games at Volcanoes Stadium in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The owners of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a former San Francisco Giants' Minor League Baseball affiliate, bought the rights to the Mavericks to help create the league after the Giants ended the affiliation in 2020.
Volcanoes Stadium is a minor league baseball park in the northwest United States, located in Keizer, Oregon. It is the home field of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, formerly the Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants in the short-season Northwest League. It now plays host to the Corban University baseball team full time. The Warriors participate at the NAIA level and are members of the Cascade Collegiate Conference. It also is the home to all four teams in the Mavericks Independent Baseball League.
The Bellingham Mariners were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, based in Bellingham, Washington. The club served as the Seattle Mariners' short-season affiliate from 1977 to 1994.
James C. Jarvis is an American former basketball player and coach. He played professionally in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later coached at the NCAA Division I level for the University of Idaho.
PK Park is a baseball stadium in the northwest United States, located in Eugene, Oregon. It is the home field of the University of Oregon Ducks of the Big Ten Conference, and during the summer, the home of the minor league Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League. The Ducks' program was revived in 2009 after nearly three decades as a club sport.
The Walla Walla Padres were the primary name of a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Walla Walla, Washington. Named after their parent club, the Padres were members of the Class A short-season Northwest League for ten years, from 1973 through 1982.
The Southern Oregon Timberjacks were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Medford, Oregon. The team played in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League and were an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 21 seasons. They played their home games at Miles Field in south Medford.
The 1995 American League West tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1995 regular season; the California Angels and Seattle Mariners met to determine the winner of the American League's (AL) West Division. It was played at the Kingdome in Seattle, on October 2, 1995.
The Wenatchee Chiefs were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Wenatchee, Washington.
Rocky Michael Gale is an American former professional baseball catcher. He attended the University of Portland where he was named the West Coast Conference defensive player of the year before being drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2010 MLB draft. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2015 for the Padres and also played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is currently a catching coordinator in the Dodgers farm system.
The Triple-Cities Triplets were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Richland, Washington, one of the Tri-Cities. The Triplets were members of the Class A short-season Northwest League for four seasons, from 1983 through 1986.
Class A Short Season was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced, and Class A. Teams in Class A Short Season played about 75 to 80 games per season, compared to the 130- to 140-game seasons of most professional baseball minor leagues.
The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season, the franchise relocated to Hillsboro, Oregon, and became Hillsboro Hops.
The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League and are the High-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They play their home games at Hillsboro Ballpark, which opened in 2013.
William Bradley Wilson is an American professional baseball shortstop in the San Francisco Giants organization. He played college baseball for the NC State Wolfpack. He was selected with the 15th overall pick of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Angels.
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