The mild climate of the west coast allowed the PCL to play a much longer season than the major leagues and the other eastern professional baseball leagues. Seasons often ran 200 games or more, especially in the early years. In the 1905 season, the Seals set the all-time PCL record by playing 230 games (Pacific Coast Baseball League Record Book 1903–1969, compiled by William J. Weiss, League Statistician; published by the PCL, 1969; p.30).
1907 advertisement for game at Valencia Street Recreation Park stadium
The Seals finished the 1906 season playing home games at Freeman's Park in Oakland. A new Recreation Park was constructed at 14th and Valencia Streets for the 1907 season. The Seals won their first PCL pennant in 1909, finishing 13+1⁄2 games over the runner-up Portland Beavers. They won flags also in 1915, 1917, 1922, 1923 and 1925.
During the 1914 season, the Sacramento Solons were moved to San Francisco, where they finished out the season playing as the San Francisco Missions, representing the city's Mission District. The idea of a second team in San Francisco remained alive and, after the 1925 season, the Vernon Tigers were purchased by a group headed by San Francisco businessman Herbert Fleishhacker and moved to San Francisco and renamed the Mission Reds or simply the "Missions", again representing the Mission District as this team played their games five blocks from Mission San Francisco de Asís. From 1926 through 1930, they played their home games at Recreation Park, playing at home while the Seals were on the road.
In 1918, financially strapped owner Henry Berry put the San Francisco Seals up for sale and Charles H. Strub, George Alfred (Alfie) Putnam and Charles H. Graham each acquired a one-third share in the team.
In 1931, the Seals moved to their own park, Seals Stadium, an 18,600-seat facility located at 16th and Bryant Streets. Seals Stadium was unusual in that it boasted three clubhouses: one for the visitors, one for the Seals, and one for the Missions, who moved there with the Seals and were the Seals' tenants from 1931 through 1937, after which the team moved back to Los Angeles to become the Hollywood Stars in 1938.
1940 San Francisco Seals pitchers
There were three breweries on the adjoining northwest corners of Seals Stadium, which included Hamm's, Budweiser and Lucky Lager.
The Seals celebrated their inaugural year in Seals Stadium by winning the PCL pennant in 1931. The following year, Seals outfielder Vince DiMaggio arranged a tryout for his younger brother Joe. In 1933, Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 61 straight games,[2] a harbinger of his 56-game hitting streak for the New York Yankees in 1941. The team won the pennant again in 1935.
In 1945, a controlling interest in the team was purchased by businessman Paul Fagan, with the stated intention of bringing Major League Baseball to the west coast by having the Pacific Coast League becoming the nation's third major league. He spent thousands of dollars upgrading Seals Stadium to perceived major league standards. He hired former major league player Lefty O'Doul, a native San Franciscan and fan favorite, as manager. Though the Seals won the pennant in 1946, subsequent teams under Fagan's watch did not fare as well, typically finishing in the second division. Rival clubs did not buy into Fagan's major league ambitions. Rather, they established working agreements with major league teams, and fared better than did the independent Seals.
Fagan gave up his aspirations and sold his interest in the Seals, who became an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. After their Bay Area rival, the Oakland Oaks, moved to Vancouver after the 1955 season, the Seals won their last PCL pennant in 1957, which proved to be their final season. Late in that season, the New York Giants announced their move to San Francisco for the 1958 season, and the Seals were forced to relocate.
1940 cap logo
The Seals moved to Phoenix, Arizona for the 1958 season. They became the top affiliate of the now-San Francisco Giants, and were renamed the Phoenix Giants. The franchise then moved to Tacoma, Washington, where they played from 1960 to 1965, returning to Phoenix for the 1966 season. The team remained in Phoenix–from 1986 onward as the Firebirds–until 1998, when they were displaced by MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks. In a complicated deal, the Firebirds' ownership group bought the Tucson Toros, inheriting the Toros' staff and facilities. After an interim one-year affiliation with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Toros affiliated with the Diamondbacks and changed their name to the Sidewinders. The Giants' affiliation was transferred to the displaced Tucson AAA franchise, which became the Fresno Grizzlies until their reassignment to Low-A. In 2009, the Sidewinders franchise moved to Reno, Nevada. They retained their affiliation with the Arizona Diamondbacks as the Reno Aces, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field. The Tucson Toros returned under the same ownership as the Sidewinders, but they are not affiliated with a major league club. The new Toros played their home games at Hi Corbett Field, the longtime home of minor league baseball in Tucson, until 2010.
The Giants played their home games at Seals Stadium in 1958 and 1959, moving to Candlestick Park in 1960. Seals Stadium was subsequently torn down to make way for a White Front store. When this chain of stores went out of business, the building stayed empty for some years. It was finally turned into a car dealership and later a Safeway grocery store. The legacy of the Seals lives on in the Giants' mascot Lou Seal, as well as in a statue of the Seals' cartoon mascot (c. 1947) at Oracle Park, and with a marker on the 16th & Bryant sidewalk placed where Seals Stadium home plate stood.
Rebirth in 1985
The Seals were reborn as a collegiate woodbat team in 1985 by Bay Area high school and college coach as well as former scout Abel Alcantar. Seals Alumni include many current California Junior College, Division I, and Division II coaches. The Seals played out of Albert Park in San Rafael, CA until 2002, until the historic team moved to Sonoma, CA, and then most recently Alameda, CA where he put together teams at various levels from 8U-18U while continuing the collegiate summer team. The collegiate team played in the Far West League in 2012 and 2013, the Great West League in 2018, and the California Collegiate League in 2019, but has been known for being an independent summer collegiate team that travels more than any summer collegiate team in the nation, simulating the grind of minor league professional baseball. They have made appearances in the Alaska Baseball League, the West Coast League, Canada, and the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, KS.
Affiliations
The Seals were largely independent of major leaguefarm systems except for the following affiliations:
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) was a Minor League Baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern, and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it was one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which was one grade below Major League Baseball. It was officially named the Pacific Coast League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc. Its headquarters were in Round Rock, Texas. The PCL was replaced by Triple-A West.
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 Los Angeles Angels were a Minor League Baseball team based in Los Angeles that played in the "near-major league" Pacific Coast League from 1903 through 1957.
The Oakland Oaks were a minor league baseball team in Oakland, California that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 through 1955, after which the club transferred to Vancouver, British Columbia. The team was named for the city and used the oak tree and the acorn as its symbols.
The Mission Reds were a minor league baseball team located in San Francisco, California, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1926 through 1937.
The Hollywood Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early- and mid-20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles-based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels.
The Sacramento Solons were a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Pacific Coast League during several periods. The current Sacramento River Cats began play in 2000.
The Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels, were a Minor League Baseball team in Seattle, Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1906 and 1919 to 1968. They were initially named for the indigenous Native American population of the Pacific Northwest, and changed their name after being acquired by the Rainier Brewing Company, which was in turn named for nearby Mount Rainier.
The San Diego Padres were a minor league baseball team which played in the Pacific Coast League from 1936 through 1968. The team that would eventually become the Padres was well traveled prior to moving to San Diego. It began its existence in 1903 as the Sacramento Solons, a charter member of the PCL. The team moved to Tacoma in 1904, returned to Sacramento in 1905, then left the PCL altogether for the next three seasons. The Solons rejoined the PCL in 1909, then moved to San Francisco during the 1914 season, finishing out the season as the San Francisco Missions. The team was sold to businessman Bill "Hardpan" Lane, who moved the team to Salt Lake City for the 1915 season as the Salt Lake Bees.
Neill Rawlins Sheridan, nicknamed "Wild Horse," was an American professional baseball player whose 12-season career (1943–1954) largely took place in the minor leagues. An outfielder by trade, he saw his only Major League service for the 1948 Boston Red Sox, appearing for a cup of coffee — one as a pinch hitter and one as a pinch runner. Born in Sacramento, California, Sheridan threw and batted right-handed; he stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg).
Charles Henry Graham, known as "Uncle Charlie", was an American baseball catcher, manager and team owner. Listed at 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), 190 lb., Graham batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Santa Clara, California.
The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Triple-A West and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. The Aces were members of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 2009 to 2020. They won the PCL championship in 2012 and went on to win the Triple-A National Championship Game.
The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL.
James Christopher "Ike" Caveney was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1922 to 1925. He later became the player-manager for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League from 1932 to 1934.
The 1922 San Francisco Seals season was the 20th season in the history of the San Francisco Seals baseball team. The 1922 team won the Pacific Coast League (PCL) pennant with a 128–72 record, the second best winning percentage in league history. The 1922 Seals also set a new PCL attendance record with 446,021 attending the club's home games.
The 1925 San Francisco Seals season was the 23rd season in the history of the San Francisco Seals baseball team. The 1925 team won the Pacific Coast League (PCL) pennant with a 128–71 record.
The 1935 San Francisco Seals season was the 33rd season in the history of the San Francisco Seals baseball team. The team compiled a 103–70 record and won the PCL pennant.
The 1928 San Francisco Seals season was the 26th season in the history of the San Francisco Seals baseball team. The 1926 team won the Pacific Coast League (PCL) pennant with a 120–71 record. Nick Williams was the team's manager. In the 1928 PCL championship series, the Seals defeated the Sacramento Solons four games to two.
The 1909 San Francisco Seals season was the seventh season in the history of the San Francisco Seals baseball team. The 1909 team won the Pacific Coast League (PCL) pennant with a 132–80 record. Dan Long was the team's manager
The 1946 San Francisco Seals season was the 44th season in the history of the San Francisco Seals baseball team. The team compiled a 115–68 record and won the PCL pennant. Lefty O'Doul was in his 12th season as the team's manager. Playing its home games at Seals Stadium, the Seals led the PCL in attendance with paid admissions of 670,563, an increase of more than 240,000 over the prior year.
↑ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 210, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN978-0-451-22363-0
Sources
Kelley, Brent P.. The San Francisco Seals, 1946–1957. McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, North Carolina, 1995. ISBN0-7864-1188-0.
O'Neal, Bill. The Pacific Coast League 1903–1988. Eakin Press, Austin TX, 1990. ISBN0-89015-776-6.
Snelling, Dennis. The Pacific Coast League: A Statistical History, 1903–1957 McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, North Carolina, 1995. ISBN0-7864-0045-5.
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