SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the Athletics, formerly of Oakland, set down MLB roots Thursday in West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park for the next three — possibly four — years ahead of their transition to Las Vegas, here’s a look at Sacramento’s baseball history.
In 1903, the Pacific Coast League (PCL) was founded, bringing minor league baseball to Sacramento, according to the official MiLB website.
The following minor league teams played at different times in the capital city from 1903 to 1960:
- Senators; 1903, 1919-1935
- Sacts; 1909-1913
- Solons; 1936-1960
From the 1930s to the 1944, the Solons were affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The field they played on was Cardinals Field, later renamed to Doubleday Field. After the death of team owner Dick Edmonds, a local businessman, the field was renamed to Edmonds Field in 1945. The field was destroyed in a fire in July 1948 but rebuilt the following season.
Now, in place of Edmonds Field stands Target at 2505 Riverside Boulevard with ample plaque representation commemorating the former baseball field.
Alan O’Connor, 75, a retired California state employee, is colloquially known as Sacramento’s baseball historian. In the early 2000s, he wrote “Gold on the Diamond: Sacramento's Great Baseball Players 1886 to 1976.”
In 1958, O’Connor said the Sacramento Solons were passed over when voting was underway to send a minor league team to the major league.
Around 1960, the Solons were sold and relocated to Hawaii, where they would play as the Islanders.
From 1974 to 1976, another Triple-A, minor league team played at Charles C. Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City College, but the field was terribly developed for players, especially pitchers, O’Connor said, so the team left after the 1976 season.
Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League and the PCL.
The capital region’s newest minor league baseball team, the Sacramento River Cats, played their inaugural season in 2000 at Raley Field, which is now Sutter Health Park. It was renamed after the 2019 season.
The River Cats were an affiliate of the Oakland A’s from 2000 to 2014 and have been an affiliate of San Francisco Giants since 2015.
The team has been a Triple-A champion thrice: in 2007, 2008 and 2019.
O’Connor said Sacramento leaders have tried to bring a MLB franchise to town before. In fact, he said the city tried to get the A’s here approximately 20 years ago.
“It’s really interesting that we have Sacramento A’s of Las Vegas basically,” O’Connor told ABC10 on Thursday. “Maybe Las Vegas doesn’t pan out. I think this is a step in the right direction to get Major League Baseball here.”
