List of Pacific Coast League champions
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) of Minor League Baseball was a Triple-A baseball league in the United States from 1903 to 2020. A league champion was determined at the end of each season. Champions were determined by postseason playoffs, winning the regular season pennant, or being declared champion by the league office.
The San Francisco Seals won 14 PCL championships, the most in the league's history, followed by the Los Angeles Angels (12) and the Albuquerque Dukes and Portland Beavers (8).
History[]
League champions were determined by different means after the Pacific Coast League's formation in 1903. With few exceptions, most PCL champions from 1903 to 1927 were simply the regular season pennant winners.[1] However, a few seasons during this time did feature a postseason championship series to crown a champion. The Governor's Cup, the league's first championship trophy, was first awarded to the San Francisco Seals in 1928.[2] With the exception of the 1932 to 1934 seasons, during which no postseason play occurred, this was the start of consistent postseason play. These initial championship series consisted of a two-team, best-of-seven games series.[1]
Postseason play expanded to include four teams in a best-of-seven contest in 1936. The top four teams in the league competed in best-of-seven semi-final rounds, with the winners of each semi-final playing each other in a best-of-seven championship round for the Governor's Cup.[1] Financial problems resulted in the championship series of 1951 and 1954 being shortened to best-of-three games contests.[1] League financial concerns also forced the cancellation of the 1950, 1952, and 1953 postseasons; the regular season pennant winners were declared champions.[1]
The PCL eliminated postseason play and the awarding of the Governor's Cup from 1955 to 1962. The trophy itself was placed in a Los Angeles museum, later sold to a collector, and subsequently stolen—its current whereabouts unknown. A number of other trophies have been awarded to championship teams in later years during which postseason play resumed. The one given from the 1980s and 1990s was four feet tall and incorporated three full-size baseball bats and a glove. One design from the mid-1990s resembled Major League Baseball's Commissioner's Trophy issued to World Series champions. Beginning in 1998, the trophy was an engraved glass wedge fixed to a wooden base.[2]
When three former American Association teams were absorbed into the PCL in 1963, the league split into two divisions, whereas there were previously no divisions, and the winners of each division met in a best-of-seven series to determine a champion. Six teams were added to the PCL's ten when the American Association completely dissolved prior to the 1998 season. With a sixteen-team circuit, the league was split into two eight-team conferences each consisting of two four-team divisions. The Northern and Southern Division champions within each conference (American and Pacific) met in a best-of-five series to determine conference champions. Then, the American and Pacific Conference champions played a best-of-five championship series to determine a league champion.[1]
The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[3] and the league ceased operations before the 2021 season in conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of Minor League Baseball.[4]
League champions[]
- Scores and runner-up teams are absent when no playoffs were held or pennant winners were declared champions.
Championship wins by team[]
| Wins | Team | Championship years |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | San Francisco Seals | 1909, 1915, 1917, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1928, 1931, 1935, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1957 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Angels | 1903, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1916, 1918, 1921, 1926, 1933, 1934, 1947, 1956 |
| 8 | Albuquerque Dukes | 1972, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1994 |
| 8 | Portland Beavers | 1906, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1932, 1936, 1983 |
| 7 | Seattle Indians/Angels/Rainiers | 1924, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1951, 1955, 1966 |
| 5 | Hollywood Stars | 1929, 1930, 1949, 1952, 1953 |
| 5 | Oakland Oaks | 1912, 1927, 1948, 1950, 1954 |
| 5 | Sacramento River Cats | 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2019 |
| 5 | Tacoma Giants/Cubs/Yankees/Rainiers | 1961, 1969, 1978, 2001, 2010 |
| 4 | Edmonton Trappers | 1984, 1996, 1997, 2002 |
| 4 | Memphis Redbirds | 2000, 2009, 2017, 2018 |
| 4 | San Diego Padres | 1937, 1962, 1964, 1967 |
| 4 | Spokane Indians | 1960, 1970, 1973, 1974 |
| 3 | Omaha Storm Chasers | 2011, 2013, 2014 |
| 3 | Salt Lake City Bees/Gulls/Angels | 1959, 1971, 1979 |
| 3 | Vancouver Canadians | 1985, 1989, 1999 |
| 2 | Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 1992, 1995 |
| 2 | Hawaii Islanders | 1975, 1976 |
| 2 | Las Vegas 51s/Stars | 1986, 1988 |
| 2 | New Orleans Zephyrs | 1998, 2001 |
| 2 | Oklahoma City 89ers | 1963, 1965 |
| 2 | Phoenix Giants | 1958, 1977 |
| 2 | Sacramento Solons | 1938, 1939 |
| 2 | Tucson Toros | 1991, 1993 |
| 2 | Vernon Tigers | 1919, 1920 |
| 1 | El Paso Chihuahuas | 2016 |
| 1 | Fresno Grizzlies | 2015 |
| 1 | Nashville Sounds | 2005 |
| 1 | Reno Aces | 2012 |
| 1 | Tacoma Tigers | 1904 |
| 1 | Tucson Sidewinders | 2006 |
| 1 | Tulsa Oilers | 1968 |
Notes[]
- ^ The 1918 season was suspended on July 14 because of World War I travel restrictions. Los Angeles won the championship after a postseason series against Vernon.[1]
- ^ a b c The 1950, 1952, and 1953 Governor's Cup Playoffs were cancelled for financial reasons. The league declared team champions.[1]
- ^ Albuquerque and Tacoma were declared co-champions after continuing rain washed out the semi-final series between Portland and Tacoma.[1]
- ^ New Orleans and Tacoma were declared co-champions after playoffs were cancelled in the wake the September 11 terrorist attacks.[1]
See also[]
- Triple-A baseball Awards
References[]
Specific
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Past Champions". Pacific Coast League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "Post-Season Play in the Pacific Coast League". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Reichard, Kevin (February 12, 2021). "Minor League Baseball Overhaul Unveiled". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
General
- "Champions". Pacific Coast League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- Pacific Coast League
- Minor league baseball playoffs and champions
- Minor League Baseball lists