Pacific Suns

Last updated
Pacific Suns
1995 1998
(1995–1996, 1998)
Oxnard, CA
Minor league affiliations
League Western Baseball League
Team data
Previous names
  • Pacific Suns (1998)
  • Palm Springs Suns (1995–1996)
Previous parks
  • Oxnard College Park (1998)
  • Angels Stadium (1995–1996)

The Pacific Suns, previously known as the Palm Springs Suns, were a minor league baseball team located in Oxnard, California. The team played in the independent Western Baseball League, and was not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team.

The Suns team owner/vice president was Al Campanis, former Brooklyn Dodgers player and team agent in the Los Angeles Dodgers. Co-owners are Don Di Carlo and Paul Schere. Coaching staff are major league veterans Bill Sudakis, Steve Yeager, Lee Lacy and John Verhoeven.

The Suns were founded in 1995 in Palm Springs, California. They played for two years and took one year off before moving to Oxnard for the 1998 season. The team disbanded operations in 1999.

The Suns' alumni includes pitcher Ariel Prieto, joined the Oakland Athletics, another pitcher Reynaldo Brito signed by the Atlanta Braves in 1996, and Darryl Strawberry, famous all-star of the New York Yankees and part-time Palm Springs resident, had cameos on the home plate along with Kraig Constantino (San Diego Padres).

Related Research Articles

Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball team and Major League Baseball franchise in Los Angeles, California, United States

The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the team relocated to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. They played four seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving to Dodger Stadium, their current home, in 1962.

Western Baseball League

The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. Its member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002. The league was founded in 1994 by Portland, Oregon, businessman Bruce L. Engel. It began play in 1995, with the following teams:

Sandy Koufax American baseball player

Sanford Koufax is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched 12 seasons for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1955 to 1966. Koufax, at age 36 in 1972, became the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He has been hailed as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.

Tommy Lasorda American baseball player and manager

Thomas Charles Lasorda is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher, coach, and manager, who is best known for his two decades managing the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2020, he marked his 71st season with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully by three seasons. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997. Since the death of Red Schoendienst in June 2018, he has been the oldest living Hall of Famer. The University of Pennsylvania upgraded baseball field was named after Lasorda in 2020.

Seals Stadium Minor league baseball stadium in San Francisco (1931–1959)

Seals Stadium was a minor league baseball stadium in San Francisco, that later became the first home of the major league San Francisco Giants. Opened in the Mission District in 1931, Seals Stadium was the longtime home of the San Francisco Seals (1931–57) of the Pacific Coast League. The Pacific Coast League Mission Reds (1931–37) shared the ballpark with the Seals for the first seven years before moving to Los Angeles.

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball team in Keizer, Oregon, United States. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997. They play their home games at Volcanoes Stadium, which opened in 1997 and seats 4,252 fans.

Andy Messersmith American baseball player

John Alexander "Andy" Messersmith is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the California Angels (1968–72), Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves (1976–77) and the New York Yankees (1978). As a member of the Dodgers, he appeared in the 1974 World Series.

Steve Yeager American baseball catcher and coach

Stephen Wayne Yeager is an American former professional baseball catcher. Yeager spent 14 of the 15 seasons of his Major League Baseball career, from 1972 through 1985, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His last year, 1986, he played for the Seattle Mariners. As of 2012, Yeager was the Los Angeles Dodgers' Major League catching coach. He was co-MVP of the 1981 World Series.

The Golden State League was an Independent Baseball league that operated in California from 1994 to 1996.

Preston Gómez Cuban baseball player and manager

Preston Gómez was a Cuban-born infielder, manager, coach and front-office official in Major League Baseball best known for managing three major league clubs: the San Diego Padres (1969–72), Houston Astros (1974–75) and Chicago Cubs (1980). He was born Pedro Gómez Martínez in Central Preston, Cuba, and was given his nickname in U.S. professional baseball from his birthplace.

Jerry Reuss American baseball player

Jerry Reuss —pronounced "royce"—is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had a 22-year career from 1969 to 1990.

Palm Springs Stadium sports venue in Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs Stadium is a stadium in Palm Springs, California. It is primarily used for baseball. It used to be named Angels Stadium and was the home field of the Palm Springs Suns of the Western Baseball League in 1995 and 1996. Palm Springs Stadium is the home of the Palm Springs Power, of the collegiate summer Palm Springs Collegiate League, a collegiate Baseball League. In 2018 and 2019, the stadium is the official home of the Palm Springs Collegiate League and the California Winter League (2010), also shared with Palm Springs High School baseball field. The stadium has a seating capacity of 5,185.

The Arizona Winter League was an independent winter instructional baseball league. All Winter League games were played at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, Arizona. The league was founded in 2007. It disbanded in 2013 due to parent league, the Golden Baseball League/North American League, folding, but was restarted in 2016.

Les Webber American baseball player

Lester Elmer Webber was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played for six seasons. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1942 to 1946 and the Cleveland Indians in 1946 and 1948. In 154 career games, Webber pitched 432 innings and had 23 wins, 19 losses, and a 4.19 earned run average (ERA).

Tommy Hutton American baseball player and analyst

Thomas George Hutton, is an American former professional baseball infielder-outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Montreal Expos.

1987 Los Angeles Dodgers season Major League Baseball season

The 1987 Dodgers finished the season in fourth place in the Western Division of the National League.

The 1991 Montreal Expos season was the 23rd season in franchise history. After several winning seasons, the Expos faltered in 1991, winning only 20 of its first 49 games. Manager Buck Rodgers was replaced as manager by Tom Runnells. The team ultimately finished 71-90.

The 1989 Montreal Expos season was the 21st season of the baseball franchise. With owner Charles Bronfman thinking of selling the team he founded, he contemplated taking one last shot at a playoff berth. Bronfman gave young general manager Dave Dombrowski a clear mandate to win now, reportedly telling him he would provided all the money needed in the quest to bring a championship to Montreal in 1989. Dombrowski pulled off a massive trade on May 25, acquiring star left-handed pitcher – and pending free agent – Mark Langston from the Seattle Mariners. While the move was viewed as a coup at the time, it came at a heavy cost as a young, very tall and very raw Randy Johnson was the key part of the package going to the Pacific Northwest. Johnson would eventually harness his fantastic stuff and became one of the game's most dominant left-handed pitchers for well over a decade. Langston pitched 4 months for the club and left as a free agent. Still, it seemed like a worthy gamble at the time for the Expos. That year, there was no dominant team in the National League. The team seemed poised to compete for the NL East crown with a loaded starting pitching staff that featured Langston, Dennis Martínez, Bryn Smith, Pascual Perez and Kevin Gross.

Spring training training during the spring season, in baseball

In Major League Baseball (MLB), spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives established players practice time prior to competitive play. Spring training has always attracted fan attention, drawing crowds who travel to the warm climates of Arizona and Florida to enjoy the weather and watch their favorite teams play, and spring training usually coincides with spring break for many US students.