Spokane Indians
Encyclopedia
The Spokane Indians are a minor league baseball
team located in Spokane, Washington
, United States
. They are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team
of the Texas Rangers
since 2003. The Indians play home games at Avista Stadium
. Opened in 1958, Avista Stadium seats 7,202 fans.
Spokane was home of one of the charter teams of the Northwest League
in 1955, but the team folded in 1956. Between 1958 and 1971, the Indians
were a Triple-A Pacific Coast League
baseball club affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers
, before the club was moved to Albuquerque
in 1971, and later Portland
. The 1970 team, managed by Tommy Lasorda
, won 94 of 146 games and swept the Hawaii Islanders
in the PCL playoffs.
On July 7, 1963, Spokane Pitcher Bob Radovich threw a no-hitter against the Hawaii Islanders that ended on a bizarre note. With two out in the ninth inning, a Islander player drew a walk. Stan Palys
came in to run for the batter. The next batter hit a grounder to first and Palys danced up and down till the ball hit him in the leg. Under baseball rules, Palys is called out but a basehit is recorded for the batter. Pacific Coast League President Dewey Soriano
who was in attendance that night, notified the press box that final out was to be credited to the first baseman and that Palys conduct constituted "unsportsmanlike play".
Spokane returned to the NWL in 1972, but a new PCL franchise arrived from Portland
, where it lasted until 1982 when it moved to Las Vegas to become the Las Vegas Stars
and later the Las Vegas 51s
.
The Indians won the 2005 Northwest League
championship despite having a record of 37-39 during the regular season, becoming only the second team in NWL history (the Salem Angels of 1982 were the first) to win the championship crown with a losing regular season record.
In 2008 the Indians captured the Northwest League Title with a thrilling 3-1 series victory over the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
. After dropping game one, the Indians rallied to capture game two by a score of 11-10 in 10 innings. In game three, the Indians fell behind 10-2 before rallying for nine unanswered runs winning by an 11-10 margin once again. The Indians won the 2008 title in game four by securing a 6-5 victory in 10 innings.
.
In 1937, Spokane became a charter member of the Class B Western International League
, the predecessor of the Northwest League, which played from 1937 through 1942 and 1946 through 1954.
to play the Bluejackets. On a rain-slicked Snoqualmie Pass
Highway in the Cascade Mountains, the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming car and the bus veered off the road and down an embankment before crashing and bursting into flames. Nine men died — six of them instantly — and six were injured. The dead were catcher/manager Mel Cole, pitchers Bob Kinnaman and George Lyden, catcher Chris Hartje
, infielders Fred Martinez, Vic Picetti and George Risk, and outfielders Bob James and Bob Paterson. Despite a severe head wound, infielder Ben Geraghty
was able to struggle back up the mountainside to signal for help. The Indians, relying on players loaned from other teams, managed to finish the season and placed seventh in the league. One player from the 1946 team, future major league infielder Jack "Lucky" Lohrke, earned his nickname when his contract was sold to the PCL San Diego Padres
on June 24 and he departed the ill-fated bus hours before the accident. (Lohrke averted tragedy earlier when he was bumped from a military transport plane which later crashed.)
Beth Bollinger of Spokane wrote a novel titled Until the End of the Ninth, which is based on the true story of the 1946 bus crash and its aftermath.
contacted the team about officially supporting the team. In the process, the tribe gave permission to the team to adopt subtle and tasteful imagery, in order to pay homage to the team's history and new connection with the tribe. The cooperation, called "historic" by the team, included the creation of a secondary logo written in Salish
, the traditional language of the tribe. The team's colors are red, navy blue light blue, and beige.
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 located in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
of the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
since 2003. The Indians play home games at Avista Stadium
Avista Stadium
Avista Stadium is a ballpark located in Spokane Valley, Washington, United States. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Spokane Indians minor league baseball team, a Class A short-season affiliate of the Texas Rangers...
. Opened in 1958, Avista Stadium seats 7,202 fans.
Spokane was home of one of the charter teams of the Northwest League
Northwest League
The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...
in 1955, but the team folded in 1956. Between 1958 and 1971, the Indians
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
were a Triple-A 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...
baseball club affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, before the club was moved to Albuquerque
Albuquerque Dukes
The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.-History:The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class-D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Frank Huelman was the league leader in home runs,...
in 1971, and later Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The 1970 team, managed by Tommy Lasorda
Tommy Lasorda
Thomas Charles Lasorda is a former Major League baseball player and manager. marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully...
, won 94 of 146 games and swept the Hawaii Islanders
Hawaii Islanders
The Hawaii Islanders were a AAA minor league baseball team, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1961 through 1987. The Islanders were originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics. They played their home games at Honolulu Stadium, Honolulu's Aloha Stadium...
in the PCL playoffs.
On July 7, 1963, Spokane Pitcher Bob Radovich threw a no-hitter against the Hawaii Islanders that ended on a bizarre note. With two out in the ninth inning, a Islander player drew a walk. Stan Palys
Stan Palys
Stanley Francis Palys is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played four seasons in the majors, from 1953 until 1956, for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Redlegs....
came in to run for the batter. The next batter hit a grounder to first and Palys danced up and down till the ball hit him in the leg. Under baseball rules, Palys is called out but a basehit is recorded for the batter. Pacific Coast League President Dewey Soriano
Dewey Soriano
Dewey Soriano was the part-owner of the Seattle Pilots baseball team of the American League in , the franchise's only year in Seattle....
who was in attendance that night, notified the press box that final out was to be credited to the first baseman and that Palys conduct constituted "unsportsmanlike play".
Spokane returned to the NWL in 1972, but a new PCL franchise arrived from Portland
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
, where it lasted until 1982 when it moved to Las Vegas to become the Las Vegas Stars
Las Vegas 51s
The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...
and later the Las Vegas 51s
Las Vegas 51s
The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...
.
The Indians won the 2005 Northwest League
Northwest League
The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...
championship despite having a record of 37-39 during the regular season, becoming only the second team in NWL history (the Salem Angels of 1982 were the first) to win the championship crown with a losing regular season record.
In 2008 the Indians captured the Northwest League Title with a thrilling 3-1 series victory over the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball team in Keizer, Oregon, United States. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997...
. After dropping game one, the Indians rallied to capture game two by a score of 11-10 in 10 innings. In game three, the Indians fell behind 10-2 before rallying for nine unanswered runs winning by an 11-10 margin once again. The Indians won the 2008 title in game four by securing a 6-5 victory in 10 innings.
History before 1956
Spokane's minor league history dates to 1892, when it fielded a team in the Pacific Northwest League. The nickname Indians dates to 1903, when Spokane joined the Pacific National League - a predecessor to the PCL and, at Class A, an elite minor league of the period, equivalent to Triple A today. The Indians lasted only two seasons at that higher level before dropping to the Class B Northwestern League, which folded during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In 1937, Spokane became a charter member of the Class B Western International League
Western International League
The Western International League was a mid- to higher-level circuit in American and Canadian minor league baseball. It operated in 1923, 1937-42, and 1946-54. In 1955, it changed its name to the Northwest League, and still operates today as a Short Season A loop under that name.The WIL consisted of...
, the predecessor of the Northwest League, which played from 1937 through 1942 and 1946 through 1954.
The 1946 Spokane bus tragedy
On June 24, 1946, the WIL Indians were victims of the worst transit accident in the history of American professional sport. The team's bus was on its way to Bremerton, WashingtonBremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
to play the Bluejackets. On a rain-slicked Snoqualmie Pass
Snoqualmie Pass
Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 through the Cascade Range in the U.S. State of Washington. The elevation of the pass summit is , and is on the county line between Kittitas County and King County...
Highway in the Cascade Mountains, the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming car and the bus veered off the road and down an embankment before crashing and bursting into flames. Nine men died — six of them instantly — and six were injured. The dead were catcher/manager Mel Cole, pitchers Bob Kinnaman and George Lyden, catcher Chris Hartje
Chris Hartje
Christian Henry Hartje was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played in nine games for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1939 baseball season....
, infielders Fred Martinez, Vic Picetti and George Risk, and outfielders Bob James and Bob Paterson. Despite a severe head wound, infielder Ben Geraghty
Ben Geraghty
Benjamin Raymond Geraghty was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and one of the most successful and respected minor league managers of the 1950s....
was able to struggle back up the mountainside to signal for help. The Indians, relying on players loaned from other teams, managed to finish the season and placed seventh in the league. One player from the 1946 team, future major league infielder Jack "Lucky" Lohrke, earned his nickname when his contract was sold to the PCL San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres (PCL)
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...
on June 24 and he departed the ill-fated bus hours before the accident. (Lohrke averted tragedy earlier when he was bumped from a military transport plane which later crashed.)
Beth Bollinger of Spokane wrote a novel titled Until the End of the Ninth, which is based on the true story of the 1946 bus crash and its aftermath.
Notable players
- Carlos BeltránCarlos BeltránCarlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...
, Currently All Star major league outfielder for the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. - Joey CoraJoey CoraJose Manuel Cora Amaro was a baseball player known as "The Rooster" with an 11 year career in the MLB spanning the years 1987 and 1989-1998. He played for the San Diego Padres of the National League and the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians of the American League...
, MLB All Star/MLB Hall of FameHall of FameA hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
major league second baseman. Currently the third base coach for the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. - Neftali Feliz, Currently MLB All Star major league closer for the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. - Brad GuldenBrad GuldenBradley "Brad" Lee Gulden is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He debuted with the Dodgers on September 22, 1978 against the San Diego Padres after being...
, Former major league catcher with six MLB teams, most notably with the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in 1979. - Ian KinslerIan KinslerIan Michael Kinsler is a Major League Baseball All-Star second baseman for the Texas Rangers.Despite having been drafted in only the 17th round out of college, Kinsler has risen to become a two-time All Star, and a member of the Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball...
, Currently MLB All Star major league second baseman for the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
.
Logos and uniforms
In the 2006 offseason, the Indians began a process to redesign their logo and uniforms. As per tradition, they began by avoiding the use of any American Indian imagery, but early in the process of redesign, the Spokane NationSpokane (tribe)
The Spokane are a Native American people in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Washington. The Spokane Indian Reservation, at , is located in eastern Washington, almost entirely in Stevens County, but includes two very small parcels of land and part of the Spokane River in...
contacted the team about officially supporting the team. In the process, the tribe gave permission to the team to adopt subtle and tasteful imagery, in order to pay homage to the team's history and new connection with the tribe. The cooperation, called "historic" by the team, included the creation of a secondary logo written in Salish
Salishan languages
The Salishan languages are a group of languages of the Pacific Northwest...
, the traditional language of the tribe. The team's colors are red, navy blue light blue, and beige.