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San Francisco Seals (PCL)

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San Francisco Seals
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Open (1952–1957)
  • Triple-A (1946–1951)
  • Double-A (1908–1945)
  • A (1903–1907)
LeaguePacific Coast League (1903–1957)
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles1909, 1915, 1917, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1928, 1931, 1935, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1957
Team data
Previous names
San Francisco Seals (1903–1957)
Previous parks

TheSan Francisco Sealswere aminor league baseballteam inSan Francisco, California,that played in thePacific Coast Leaguefrom 1903 until 1957 before transferring toPhoenix, Arizona.The organization was named for the abundantCalifornia sea lionandharbor sealpopulations in the Bay Area. The 1909, 1922, 1925, and 1928 Seals were recognized as being among the100 greatest minor league teams of all time.[1]

Early history

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Along with theLos Angeles Angels,Portland Beavers,Oakland Oaks,Sacramento Solons,andSeattle Indians,the Seals were charter members of the Pacific Coast League, which was founded in 1903. The team played their home games atRecreation Parkat Harrison and 8th Streets until it was destroyed in the1906 San Francisco earthquake.

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 StreetRecreation Parkstadium

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, finishing13+1⁄2games over the runner-up Portland Beavers. They won flags also in 1915, 1917, 1922, 1923 and 1925.

During the 1914 season, theSacramento Solonswere moved to San Francisco, where they finished out the season playing as theSan Francisco Missions,representing the city'sMission District.That same year, the Seals moved across town to play their inaugural and only season at foggyEwing Field.The idea of a second team in San Francisco remained alive and, after the 1925 season, theVernon Tigerswere purchased by a group headed by San Francisco businessmanHerbert Fleishhackerand moved to San Francisco and renamed theMission Redsor simply the "Missions", again representing the Mission District as this team played their games five blocks fromMission 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 andCharles H. Strub,George Alfred (Alfie) Putnam andCharles H. Grahameach 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 theHollywood Starsin 1938.

1940 San Francisco Seals pitchers

There were three breweries on the adjoining northwest corners of Seals Stadium, which includedHamm'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 outfielderVince DiMaggioarranged a tryout for his younger brotherJoe.In 1933, Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 61 straight games,[2]a harbinger of his56-game hitting streakfor theNew York Yankeesin 1941. The team won the pennant again in 1935.

Change of control

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PitcherSam Gibsonin a Seals uniform, c. 1939

In 1945, a controlling interest in the team was purchased by businessman Paul Fagan, with the stated intention of bringingMajor League Baseballto 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 playerLefty 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 theBoston Red Sox.After their Bay Area rival, theOakland Oaks,moved toVancouverafter the 1955 season, the Seals won their last PCL pennant in 1957, which proved to be their final season. Late in that season, theNew York Giantsannounced their move to San Francisco for the 1958 season, and the Seals were forced to relocate.

1940 cap logo

As part of the Giants' transfer to San Francisco, the Seals became its top affiliate after a swap on October 15, 1957 in which theMinneapolis Millersjoined the Red Sox organization.[3]They moved toPhoenix, Arizonafor the 1958 season and were renamed thePhoenix Giants.The franchise then moved toTacoma, 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'sArizona Diamondbacks.In a complicated deal, the Firebirds' ownership group bought theTucson Toros,inheriting the Toros' staff and facilities. After an interim one-year affiliation with theMilwaukee 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 theFresno Grizzliesuntil their reassignment to Low-A. In 2009, the Sidewinders franchise moved toReno, Nevada.They retained their affiliation with the Arizona Diamondbacks as theReno Aces,and play their home games atGreater 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 atHi 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 toCandlestick Parkin 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 aSafewaygrocery store. The legacy of the Seals lives on in the Giants' mascotLou Seal,as well as in a statue of the Seals' cartoon mascot (c. 1947) atOracle Park,and with a marker on the 16th & Bryant sidewalk placed where Seals Stadium home plate stood.

Rebirth in 1985

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Main article:San Francisco Seals (collegiate baseball)

The Seals were reborn as acollegiate woodbat teamin 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 ofAlbert Parkin 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 theFar West Leaguein 2012 and 2013, theGreat West Leaguein 2018, and theCalifornia Collegiate Leaguein 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 theAlaska Baseball League,theWest Coast League,Canada, and theNational Baseball CongressWorld Series in Wichita, KS.

Affiliations

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The Seals were largely independent ofmajor leaguefarm systemsexcept for the following affiliations:

Year Affiliation(s)
1936; 1945 New York Giants
1942 Brooklyn Dodgers
1951 New York Yankees
1956–57 Boston Red Sox

Notable alumni

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Abaseball cardofJoe DiMaggioduring his tenure with the San Francisco Seals, c. 1933–36

See also

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References

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Notes

  1. ^"Top 100 Teams".MiLB.com. 2001.RetrievedMay 9,2017.
  2. ^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
  3. ^"Giants Swap Seals For Minneapolis,"United Press(UP), Tuesday, October 15, 1957.Retrieved February 23, 2023.

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, 1903–1957McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, North Carolina, 1995.ISBN0-7864-0045-5.
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Preceded by Boston Red Sox
Open Classification affiliate
1956–1957 		Succeeded by
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