Category: California League

1966 Lodi Crushers baseball program from the California League

Lodi Crushers

February 26, 2020

The Crushers, formed in 1966, were the first professional baseball team to set up shop in Lodi, California since an un-named local nine represented the city in the California State League during the summers of 1904 and 1905. The Crushers’ most successful graduate, 19-year old outfielder George Hendrick, went on to an 18-year Major League career, earning 4 All-Star nods and winning World Series championships with Oakland (1972) and St. Louis (1982). Hendrick was also the last active member of the Lodi Crushers teams of the 1960’s when he played his final Major League game on October 2, 1988.

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1975 Lodi Orioles baseball program from the California League

Lodi Orioles

February 26, 2020

From 1972 until 1975 the Central Valley city of Lodi, California (pop. ~30,000) hosted a Baltimore Orioles farm club in the Class A California League. In 1972 the team was known as the Lodi Orions. In 1973, as the Lodi Lions, they won the league championship. For Lodi’s final two seasons with Baltimore in 1974 and 1975, the team adopted the parent club’s “Orioles” nickname as their own.

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1975 Bakersfield Dodgers baseball program from the California League

Bakersfield Dodgers (1968-1975)

August 22, 2019

The original Bakersfield Dodgers were a Class A farm club of the L.A. Dodgers from 1968 to 1975. The Dodgers replaced the Bakersfield Bears (1957-1967) in the California League membership in 1968. Future Major League stars who came up through Bakersfield’ during the Dodgers era included Ron Cey, Jeff Leonard, Rick Sutcliffe and Steve Yeager.

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1963 Salinas Mets baseball program from the California League

Salinas Mets

August 19, 2019

The Salinas Mets of 1963-1964 were the second minor league baseball team to set up shop in the fast growing Northern California city of Salinas. The Monterey County seat boasts over 150,000 residents today, but back in 1960 Salinas’ population was just under 30,000. Salinas’ only previous team, the Packers, played in the California League from 1954 to 1957. Future NY Mets star Bud Harrelson was Salinas’ top graduate during the brief Mets era.

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1982 San Jose Expos baseball program from the California League

San Jose Expos

August 2, 2019

The San Jose Expos were a Class A farm club of the Montreal Expos for a single summer in 1982. Peter “Woody” Kern, a 34-year old nursing home operator from Ohio, paid $65,000 for the California League’s San Jose Missions club in late 1981, changing the name when the Expos agreed to a Player Development Contract that winter.

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