Fresno Grizzlies
Encyclopedia
The Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball
team based in Fresno, California
. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League
(PCL), is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants
major league
club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park
(capacity 12,500), located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002. The Fresno Grizzlies' colors are black and orange, designed to mirror the colors of their parent club. All games are broadcast on KJZN 105.5 FM , with Doug Greenwald handling the play-by-play.
. The team dropped out of the league after that year, but returned in 1905. In 1906, the Tacoma Tigers
of the Pacific Coast League moved to Fresno, playing as the Fresno Raisin Eaters
for one season before moving to Sacramento
for the 1907 season. In the intervening years before the arrival of the Grizzlies, Fresno fielded teams in the California State League in 1910 and 1913, and in the current California League from 1941 through 1988, including the Fresno Cardinals
(1941–1956), Fresno Sun Sox (1957), Fresno Giants (1958–1987), and Fresno Suns (1988).
When the Arizona Diamondbacks
expansion franchise was awarded to Phoenix
by Major League Baseball with a start date of 1998, the existing Phoenix Firebirds
PCL team, at the time the Giants'
Triple-A affiliate, was forced to relocate. In a complicated series of events, the owners of the Firebirds moved their team to Tucson
and became the Tucson Sidewinders
, dropping their affiliation with the Giants in favor of the expansion Diamondbacks. The owners of the existing Tucson Toros
then moved their franchise to Fresno, thus ending a 92-year hiatus of PCL baseball in Fresno. The transplanted Toros, renamed the Grizzlies, became the Giants' new PCL affiliate. From 1998 through 2001 the Grizzlies played at Pete Beiden Field
at California State University, Fresno
, before moving to Chukchansi Park.
During the team's 11 year history in Fresno, it has had a number of different owners. In October 2005, the team was sold again, this time to Fresno Baseball Club LLC, headquartered in Delaware
.
The team hosted such promotions as K-Fed
Night and Second Chance Night in 2006; The Price Is Right
Night in 2007; and Totally Rad 80s Night featuring The Karate Kid star Billy Zabka
in May 2008.
Parker, the Grizzlies mascot
, was named Best Mascot of 2007 by GameOps, beating out all other major and minor league mascots. Chukchansi Park is also home to the Drag Kings, the Grizzlies' dancing grounds crew who were given an honorable mention by GameOps as Best Entertainment act. The Grizzlies won the Minor League Baseball Promotion of the Year award in 2008 for their "Mascot Showdown" featuring Parker and the Phillie Phanatic
.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team based in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
(PCL), is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
major league
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park
Chukchansi Park
Chukchansi Park, formerly Grizzlies Stadium, is a city-owned baseball stadium located in Fresno, California, completed in 2002 as the home for the Pacific Coast League, Fresno Grizzlies. In September 2006, Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, affiliated with the Chukchansi tribe, announced it would be...
(capacity 12,500), located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002. The Fresno Grizzlies' colors are black and orange, designed to mirror the colors of their parent club. All games are broadcast on KJZN 105.5 FM , with Doug Greenwald handling the play-by-play.
History
Professional baseball first came to Fresno in 1898 when it had a team in the original California LeagueCalifornia League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
. The team dropped out of the league after that year, but returned in 1905. In 1906, the Tacoma Tigers
Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Pacific Coast League , and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners...
of the Pacific Coast League moved to Fresno, playing as the Fresno Raisin Eaters
Fresno Raisin Eaters
The Fresno Raisin Eaters were a minor league baseball team which played in the Pacific Coast League in 1906. The Sacramento Solons, a charter member of the PCL which began play in 1903, moved to Tacoma in 1904, where the team won the PCL pennant playing as the Tacoma Tigers...
for one season before moving to Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
for the 1907 season. In the intervening years before the arrival of the Grizzlies, Fresno fielded teams in the California State League in 1910 and 1913, and in the current California League from 1941 through 1988, including the Fresno Cardinals
Fresno Cardinals
The Fresno Cardinals were a minor league baseball team that played in the California League from 1941-1956. The team was owned by the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League and was based in Fresno, California....
(1941–1956), Fresno Sun Sox (1957), Fresno Giants (1958–1987), and Fresno Suns (1988).
When the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
expansion franchise was awarded to Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
by Major League Baseball with a start date of 1998, the existing Phoenix Firebirds
Phoenix Firebirds
The Phoenix Firebirds, formerly the Phoenix Giants, were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Phoenix, Arizona, USA from 1958-1959, and 1966 until 1997....
PCL team, at the time the Giants'
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
Triple-A affiliate, was forced to relocate. In a complicated series of events, the owners of the Firebirds moved their team to Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
and became the Tucson Sidewinders
Tucson Sidewinders
The Tucson Sidewinders were a minor league baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona. The team, which played in the Pacific Coast League, was the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks major-league club....
, dropping their affiliation with the Giants in favor of the expansion Diamondbacks. The owners of the existing Tucson Toros
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros are a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. They are owned by Tucson Baseball, LLC with Jay Zucker as chairman of the board. Sean Smock is the team's general manager....
then moved their franchise to Fresno, thus ending a 92-year hiatus of PCL baseball in Fresno. The transplanted Toros, renamed the Grizzlies, became the Giants' new PCL affiliate. From 1998 through 2001 the Grizzlies played at Pete Beiden Field
Pete Beiden Field
Pete Beiden Field, formerly Varsity Park, is a baseball stadium on the campus of the California State University, Fresno in Fresno, California, built in 1966. The baseball park is the current home of the Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team, and named after former baseball coach Pete Beiden, who led...
at California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno, often referred to as Fresno State University and synonymously known in athletics as Fresno State , is one of the leading campuses of the California State University system, located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, USA.The campus sits at the foot of...
, before moving to Chukchansi Park.
During the team's 11 year history in Fresno, it has had a number of different owners. In October 2005, the team was sold again, this time to Fresno Baseball Club LLC, headquartered in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
.
The team hosted such promotions as K-Fed
Kevin Federline
Kevin Earl Federline is an American dancer, rapper, fashion model, and actor. Previously engaged to actress Shar Jackson, Federline is best known for his two-year marriage to pop singer Britney Spears...
Night and Second Chance Night in 2006; The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
Night in 2007; and Totally Rad 80s Night featuring The Karate Kid star Billy Zabka
William Zabka
William Michael "Billy" Zabka is an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is an Academy Award Nominee for Co-Writing and Producing the film, "MOST." Zabka is best known for his villain roles in several iconic 80s films, such as his role of Johnny Lawrence in 1984's The Karate...
in May 2008.
Parker, the Grizzlies mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
, was named Best Mascot of 2007 by GameOps, beating out all other major and minor league mascots. Chukchansi Park is also home to the Drag Kings, the Grizzlies' dancing grounds crew who were given an honorable mention by GameOps as Best Entertainment act. The Grizzlies won the Minor League Baseball Promotion of the Year award in 2008 for their "Mascot Showdown" featuring Parker and the Phillie Phanatic
Phillie Phanatic
The Phillie Phanatic, is the official mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. He is a large, furry, green creature that somewhat resembles a bird from the rear view with a cylindrical beak containing a extendable tongue.-Creation:...
.
Notable alumni
- Buster PoseyBuster PoseyGerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III is a catcher for the San Francisco Giants. He was drafted by the Giants fifth overall in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft....
, MLB catcher - Tim LincecumTim LincecumTimothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
, MLB starting pitcher - Brian Wilson, MLB closer
- Brian HorwitzBrian HorwitzBrian Jeffery Horwitz, nicknamed "The Rabbi," is an American baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has won two minor league batting titles, and made his major league debut in 2008....
, MLB outfielder - Matt CainMatt CainMatthew Thomas Cain is an American Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants...
, MLB starting pitcher - Sergio RomoSergio RomoSergio Francisco Romo is a American right-handed professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League baseball.-Early life:Romo was born in Brawley, California to Mexican immigrant parents...
, MLB relief pitcher - Madison BumgarnerMadison BumgarnerMadison Bumgarner is an American baseball pitcher with the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Bumgarner is listed 6'5" and 225 pounds and has a 90–95 MPH fastball...
, MLB starting pitcher - Pat BurrellPat BurrellPatrick Brian "Pat" Burrell , nicknamed "Pat the Bat," is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He stands tall and weighs . He bats and throws right-handed...
, MLB outfielder