Beavers History
When Henry Harris, president of the San Francisco club of the outlaw California League, visited Portland in December 1902, it was the beginning of a chain of events that continue to this day. Harris convinced the Portland club to quit the Pacific Northwest League and jump to his fledgling Pacific Coast League. The two leagues went head-to-head in five West Coast cities, but the PCL won out and became a recognized league in 1904.
The Portland Browns finished a distant fifth in that inaugural 1903 season and were even worse in 1904, finishing last with a 79-136 record, the most losses ever recorded in a PCL season. That 1904 team also committed an astounding 669 errors, the resulting .929 fielding percentage still a PCL record low.
After the 1904 season, Browns outfielder Walter McCredie and his uncle, Judge W.W. McCredie, purchased the team, renaming it the Giants and installing Walter as the player-manager. Portland was about to embark on the most successful run in its history.
Rebuilding the team in 1905, the McCredies struck for their first pennant in 1906, coincident with the team being renamed the Beavers as the result of a newspaper contest. The team was led in hitting by Mike Mitchell, who paced the league in home runs and batting average. Mitchell’s six home runs still stand as the fewest ever by a PCL homer leader.
The team reverted to last place in 1907, and after second-place finishes in 1908-09, began a string of four pennants in five years. The great 1910 team had anemic hitting (their .218 team batting average is the lowest-ever by a PCL pennant-winner), had great pitching, led by Vean Gregg (32-18) and Gene Krapp (29-16). Gregg and Krapp were sold to the Cleveland Indians after the season, but the Beavers hardly missed a beat. Led by the fielding of Roger Peckenpaugh, the hitting of Buddy Ryan (league batting and home run champion) and a staff with four 20-game winners, they repeated as PCL champs in 1911.
The Beavers dropped to fourth place in 1912, but returned to form in 1913, winning the pennant by 6 1/2 games over Sacramento as Bill “Raw Meat” Rodgers led the league in hits and Bill James won the league strikeout crown. Again in 1914, the Beavers were the class of the league, this time beating out Los Angeles by 3 1/2-games with Dave “Beauty” Bancroft at shortstop and pitcher Irv Higginbotham winning 31 games to top the 22 he’d won in 1913.
In 1915, the Beavers featured future Hall of Fame pitcher Stan Coveleski but the year marked the end of a fruitful informal working agreement with Cleveland and the team plummeted to the cellar. In 1917, the team improved its 1916 finish by one place to end up fourth, again just below .500. Grants Pass native Ken Williams led the team and the league with 24 home runs.
The Portland Browns finished a distant fifth in that inaugural 1903 season and were even worse in 1904, finishing last with a 79-136 record, the most losses ever recorded in a PCL season. That 1904 team also committed an astounding 669 errors, the resulting .929 fielding percentage still a PCL record low.
After the 1904 season, Browns outfielder Walter McCredie and his uncle, Judge W.W. McCredie, purchased the team, renaming it the Giants and installing Walter as the player-manager. Portland was about to embark on the most successful run in its history.
Rebuilding the team in 1905, the McCredies struck for their first pennant in 1906, coincident with the team being renamed the Beavers as the result of a newspaper contest. The team was led in hitting by Mike Mitchell, who paced the league in home runs and batting average. Mitchell’s six home runs still stand as the fewest ever by a PCL homer leader.
The team reverted to last place in 1907, and after second-place finishes in 1908-09, began a string of four pennants in five years. The great 1910 team had anemic hitting (their .218 team batting average is the lowest-ever by a PCL pennant-winner), had great pitching, led by Vean Gregg (32-18) and Gene Krapp (29-16). Gregg and Krapp were sold to the Cleveland Indians after the season, but the Beavers hardly missed a beat. Led by the fielding of Roger Peckenpaugh, the hitting of Buddy Ryan (league batting and home run champion) and a staff with four 20-game winners, they repeated as PCL champs in 1911.
The Beavers dropped to fourth place in 1912, but returned to form in 1913, winning the pennant by 6 1/2 games over Sacramento as Bill “Raw Meat” Rodgers led the league in hits and Bill James won the league strikeout crown. Again in 1914, the Beavers were the class of the league, this time beating out Los Angeles by 3 1/2-games with Dave “Beauty” Bancroft at shortstop and pitcher Irv Higginbotham winning 31 games to top the 22 he’d won in 1913.
In 1915, the Beavers featured future Hall of Fame pitcher Stan Coveleski but the year marked the end of a fruitful informal working agreement with Cleveland and the team plummeted to the cellar. In 1917, the team improved its 1916 finish by one place to end up fourth, again just below .500. Grants Pass native Ken Williams led the team and the league with 24 home runs.
1919-1931
Due to World War I-related travel problems, Portland dropped from the Pacific Coast
League in 1918, electing instead to join the more regional Pacific Coast International League. Neither league survived the season, both halting play in July. It was the end of an era. After the championship in 1914, the next 16 years would see the Beavers win no more pennants and finish over .500 just once.
Portland rejoined the Pacific Coast League in 1919. The league sported eight teams for the first time, a format which would continue until the league expanded to 10 teams in 1963. The team fared poorly, finishing seventh. Portland slipped into the cellar in 1920, a performance the Beavers would repeat in 1921, when they posted the franchise’s worst record ever, at 51-134. The “Roaring Twenties” would prove to be anything but roaring for the Beavers, as they produced second-division finishes in 10 of the 12 years from 1919-30.
After the 1921 season, the club was sold to Walter Klepper, former president of the Seattle team. It helped a little, as the team rose to seventh place in 1922, but Klepper was in hot water. He was suspended by baseball commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis for perceived shenanigans with players from Seattle who ended up on the Portland team. The feisty Klepper went to court and had the ruling overturned, supposedly the only time that Landis ever had a decision reversed. In 1923 the Beavers posted their best mark of the decade with a third-place finish and a 107-89 record. Yes, that’s almost a 200-game season; because of favorable weather, the PCL routinely played schedules of 180-220 games until well into the 1950s.
The 1924 season saw the arrival of future hall-of-famer Mickey Cochrane. Not so coincidentally, the team was purchased after the 1924 season by Philadelphia Athletics owners John and Tom Shibe. Athletics manager Connie Mack’s son Roy was made vice president and business manager. Cochrane was a fine player, but not enough to help the Beavers as they slid back to seventh place. Not surprisingly, Cochrane was playing for the A’s in 1925.
In 1925, the team brought in Duffy Lewis, a member of the famed Boston Red Sox outfield in the 1910s. The future hall-of-famer had won the PCL batting championship with Salt Lake City the previous year, but that didn’t impress the locals and Lewis left before the year was out.
Elmer Smith, of 1920 World Series fame, joined the team for 1926-27, but despite his leading the Pacific Coast League in home runs in 1926 and leading all of minor league baseball in homers in 1927, the Beavers finished fourth and fifth those two years. In 1928, the Beavers had eight players hit over .300, but they fell to seventh place with a 79-112 record. Every pitcher on the team, save one, had a losing record.
The Beavers also picked up two of their strongest links to Portland fans during these years. Rocky Benevento came north from San Jose to become the team’s groundskeeper at Vaughn Street in 1927, and Rollie Truitt began broadcasting games on the radio in 1929.
Despite a strong second half in 1929, the team still finished sixth overall in the standings.
Portland showed off the “reversible battery” of Ed Tomlin and Junk Walters, who on at least one occasion were the pitcher and catcher in the first game of a doubleheader, then exchanged positions for the second game. Once more, the Beavers experimented with their name and were known as both the Ducks and sometimes the Rosebuds, even featuring a duck logo on the uniforms. The names didn’t stick; by 1930, the Beaver name was back in force although the team would occasionally be referred to as the Ducks as late as 1940.
The highlight of the 1930 season was probably Portland second baseman William Rhiel’s unassisted triple play, the last recorded in the PCL. Portland’s pitching staff had Major League veteran Carl Mays and longtime PCL stalwart Duster Mails, but even the .347 hitting of future major league star Doc Cramer couldn’t overcome a sky-high staff ERA. The Beavers closed out what had been an era of futility with a last-place finish in 1930, their 81-117 record leaving them 37 games off the pace.
In 1931, the Beavers changed hands once again, as Tom Turner bought the team from the Shibe brothers. Things immediately began looking up, as the team won 100 games and finished a solid third. Ed Coleman led the Pacific Coast League in hits (275) and runs batted in (183), and John Monroe paced it in runs (141).
League in 1918, electing instead to join the more regional Pacific Coast International League. Neither league survived the season, both halting play in July. It was the end of an era. After the championship in 1914, the next 16 years would see the Beavers win no more pennants and finish over .500 just once.
Portland rejoined the Pacific Coast League in 1919. The league sported eight teams for the first time, a format which would continue until the league expanded to 10 teams in 1963. The team fared poorly, finishing seventh. Portland slipped into the cellar in 1920, a performance the Beavers would repeat in 1921, when they posted the franchise’s worst record ever, at 51-134. The “Roaring Twenties” would prove to be anything but roaring for the Beavers, as they produced second-division finishes in 10 of the 12 years from 1919-30.
After the 1921 season, the club was sold to Walter Klepper, former president of the Seattle team. It helped a little, as the team rose to seventh place in 1922, but Klepper was in hot water. He was suspended by baseball commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis for perceived shenanigans with players from Seattle who ended up on the Portland team. The feisty Klepper went to court and had the ruling overturned, supposedly the only time that Landis ever had a decision reversed. In 1923 the Beavers posted their best mark of the decade with a third-place finish and a 107-89 record. Yes, that’s almost a 200-game season; because of favorable weather, the PCL routinely played schedules of 180-220 games until well into the 1950s.
The 1924 season saw the arrival of future hall-of-famer Mickey Cochrane. Not so coincidentally, the team was purchased after the 1924 season by Philadelphia Athletics owners John and Tom Shibe. Athletics manager Connie Mack’s son Roy was made vice president and business manager. Cochrane was a fine player, but not enough to help the Beavers as they slid back to seventh place. Not surprisingly, Cochrane was playing for the A’s in 1925.
In 1925, the team brought in Duffy Lewis, a member of the famed Boston Red Sox outfield in the 1910s. The future hall-of-famer had won the PCL batting championship with Salt Lake City the previous year, but that didn’t impress the locals and Lewis left before the year was out.
Elmer Smith, of 1920 World Series fame, joined the team for 1926-27, but despite his leading the Pacific Coast League in home runs in 1926 and leading all of minor league baseball in homers in 1927, the Beavers finished fourth and fifth those two years. In 1928, the Beavers had eight players hit over .300, but they fell to seventh place with a 79-112 record. Every pitcher on the team, save one, had a losing record.
The Beavers also picked up two of their strongest links to Portland fans during these years. Rocky Benevento came north from San Jose to become the team’s groundskeeper at Vaughn Street in 1927, and Rollie Truitt began broadcasting games on the radio in 1929.
Despite a strong second half in 1929, the team still finished sixth overall in the standings.
Portland showed off the “reversible battery” of Ed Tomlin and Junk Walters, who on at least one occasion were the pitcher and catcher in the first game of a doubleheader, then exchanged positions for the second game. Once more, the Beavers experimented with their name and were known as both the Ducks and sometimes the Rosebuds, even featuring a duck logo on the uniforms. The names didn’t stick; by 1930, the Beaver name was back in force although the team would occasionally be referred to as the Ducks as late as 1940.
The highlight of the 1930 season was probably Portland second baseman William Rhiel’s unassisted triple play, the last recorded in the PCL. Portland’s pitching staff had Major League veteran Carl Mays and longtime PCL stalwart Duster Mails, but even the .347 hitting of future major league star Doc Cramer couldn’t overcome a sky-high staff ERA. The Beavers closed out what had been an era of futility with a last-place finish in 1930, their 81-117 record leaving them 37 games off the pace.
In 1931, the Beavers changed hands once again, as Tom Turner bought the team from the Shibe brothers. Things immediately began looking up, as the team won 100 games and finished a solid third. Ed Coleman led the Pacific Coast League in hits (275) and runs batted in (183), and John Monroe paced it in runs (141).
1932-1945
The 1932 edition of the Beavers brought home Portland’s first pennant since 1914. This club was the opposite of the great teams of the 1910s, with relatively weak pitching, but exceptional hitting, featuring the strong bat of future Major League star Pinky Higgins at third base, and outfielder Lou Finney, who led the league with 268 hits.
The club slipped to second place in 1933, then tumbled to the basement in 1934 as the team went through three managers, including owner Tom Turner. Attendance tumbled as well, setting an all-time franchise low of 50,731, fully one-quarter of whom showed up on Opening Day. Walter McCredie was brought back to manage but he was not a well man, and he died on the eve of planned ceremonies to honor him. Again, the team changed hands, Turner selling out to E.J. Schefter. The team rose to fourth place, squeaking in one game over .500 in 1935; more importantly, attendance rebounded to 228,000 for the year. Despite these positive signs, few gave the Beavers much of a chance in 1936.
The team began 1936 with former Philadelphia Athletics star Max Bishop at the helm, and, at management’s insistence, playing second base. But Bishop wanted to play the promising Pete Coscarart there, and was eventually fired when he wouldn’t cooperate. Bill Sweeney, the team’s first baseman, stepped in and took the team to the regular season title on the last day. Portland then beat Seattle four games to none in the first round of the playoffs and Oakland four games to one in the championship series. Pitcher Ad Liska made his Portland debut, winning the first 15 of his eventual 198 career victories for the Beavers.
In 1937, Portland dropped to fourth place but still made it into the playoffs, defeating San Francisco in the first round before losing to eventual champion San Diego, which had a skinny kid named Ted Williams in its outfield. The 1938 outfit had three strong pitchers in Whitey Hilcher, Bill Thomas and Ad Liska, but showed little hitting and no power and the team dropped to sixth place.
In 1939, Thomas and Liska each won 20 games and the Beavers had eight players hit over .300, but no other pitchers entered double-digits in wins, and the team began four straight years in the cellar.
The 1940 team produced the worst Beaver record (56-122) since the dreadful 1921 outfit, finishing 56 games behind league champion Seattle, the furthest Portland would ever finish out of first. The Beavers were so far behind the rest of the league that they were even 25 games behind seventh-place San Francisco. Not one pitcher on the team could produce a winning record and attendance dropped below 100,000 for only the third time in team history.
The team again finished last in both 1941-42, but found a “new” star in minor league veteran Ted Norbert. In 1942, he ran away with the batting title with a .378 average, precisely 100 points higher than he hit for the Beavers in 1941. He also paced the league with 28 home runs.
In 1943, George Norgan, in partnership with old owner (1922-24) William Klepper, purchased the team and the Beavers responded with their first winning record since 1937. With management dubbing them the “Lucky Beavers,” Portland made the PCL playoffs and lost to San Francisco in the first round. The pitching was much-improved, led by reliable Ad Liska’s 17-11 record. World War II was savaging the ranks of Major League baseball and the minors as well, but Portland managed to become “less bad” than the rest of the circuit and continued to move up, finishing second in 1944, once more losing the first round of the playoffs, this time to Los Angeles. The hitting was not spectacular, but solid from top to bottom, with seven players each contributing more than 40 RBIs.
Finally, in 1945, another pennant came to Portland, led by player-manager Marv Owen. Five regulars hit over .300, and each drove in at least 60 runs. Liska, Burt Pulford and Roy Helser each won exactly 20 and the Beavers took the pennant by 8 1/2 games. Again the team was luckless in the playoffs, losing to San Francisco in the first round. The Beavers had survived the war in good shape.
The club slipped to second place in 1933, then tumbled to the basement in 1934 as the team went through three managers, including owner Tom Turner. Attendance tumbled as well, setting an all-time franchise low of 50,731, fully one-quarter of whom showed up on Opening Day. Walter McCredie was brought back to manage but he was not a well man, and he died on the eve of planned ceremonies to honor him. Again, the team changed hands, Turner selling out to E.J. Schefter. The team rose to fourth place, squeaking in one game over .500 in 1935; more importantly, attendance rebounded to 228,000 for the year. Despite these positive signs, few gave the Beavers much of a chance in 1936.
The team began 1936 with former Philadelphia Athletics star Max Bishop at the helm, and, at management’s insistence, playing second base. But Bishop wanted to play the promising Pete Coscarart there, and was eventually fired when he wouldn’t cooperate. Bill Sweeney, the team’s first baseman, stepped in and took the team to the regular season title on the last day. Portland then beat Seattle four games to none in the first round of the playoffs and Oakland four games to one in the championship series. Pitcher Ad Liska made his Portland debut, winning the first 15 of his eventual 198 career victories for the Beavers.
In 1937, Portland dropped to fourth place but still made it into the playoffs, defeating San Francisco in the first round before losing to eventual champion San Diego, which had a skinny kid named Ted Williams in its outfield. The 1938 outfit had three strong pitchers in Whitey Hilcher, Bill Thomas and Ad Liska, but showed little hitting and no power and the team dropped to sixth place.
In 1939, Thomas and Liska each won 20 games and the Beavers had eight players hit over .300, but no other pitchers entered double-digits in wins, and the team began four straight years in the cellar.
The 1940 team produced the worst Beaver record (56-122) since the dreadful 1921 outfit, finishing 56 games behind league champion Seattle, the furthest Portland would ever finish out of first. The Beavers were so far behind the rest of the league that they were even 25 games behind seventh-place San Francisco. Not one pitcher on the team could produce a winning record and attendance dropped below 100,000 for only the third time in team history.
The team again finished last in both 1941-42, but found a “new” star in minor league veteran Ted Norbert. In 1942, he ran away with the batting title with a .378 average, precisely 100 points higher than he hit for the Beavers in 1941. He also paced the league with 28 home runs.
In 1943, George Norgan, in partnership with old owner (1922-24) William Klepper, purchased the team and the Beavers responded with their first winning record since 1937. With management dubbing them the “Lucky Beavers,” Portland made the PCL playoffs and lost to San Francisco in the first round. The pitching was much-improved, led by reliable Ad Liska’s 17-11 record. World War II was savaging the ranks of Major League baseball and the minors as well, but Portland managed to become “less bad” than the rest of the circuit and continued to move up, finishing second in 1944, once more losing the first round of the playoffs, this time to Los Angeles. The hitting was not spectacular, but solid from top to bottom, with seven players each contributing more than 40 RBIs.
Finally, in 1945, another pennant came to Portland, led by player-manager Marv Owen. Five regulars hit over .300, and each drove in at least 60 runs. Liska, Burt Pulford and Roy Helser each won exactly 20 and the Beavers took the pennant by 8 1/2 games. Again the team was luckless in the playoffs, losing to San Francisco in the first round. The Beavers had survived the war in good shape.
1946-1957
The end of World War II signaled a boom for baseball in general, including the Pacific Coast League. Following the pennant-winning season of 1945, George Norgan bought out William Klepper and became the sole owner of the Portland franchise. The Beavers sank to seventh place in 1946, 41 games out of first, but did get a PCL batting title from Harvey Storey’s .326 average and Ad Liska contributed a no-hitter.
The next season the Beavers set an attendance record that would last for more than a half-century, drawing 421,000 fans to Vaughn Street as they finished third and returned to the playoffs. The 1947 season also marked the Portland debut of one of the most popular Beavers ever, second baseman Eddie Basinski; the man known as “The Fiddler” and “The Professor” would play for the club through 1956 and bat .258 while hitting 89 homers and driving in 771 runs.
Portland spent the next several years as an average team, placing between fourth and sixth each from 1948 through 1953. The Beavers integrated in 1949, with shortstop Frankie Austin and outfielder Luis Marquez joining the team.
In 1952, the PCL was granted “Open” status, placing it a step above the other Triple-A leagues but a step below the major leagues. It was also the start of a four-season tenure as manager by Clay Hopper, who had managed the Montreal Royals in 1946 when Jackie Robinson joined that team to break the color line in “organized” baseball.
By now, Vaughn Street had long been flirting with condemnation. In 1953, the Beavers announced plans to build a new ballpark at 82nd and Holgate, but the project never got off the ground. Interest in the Beavers flourished around the state with a radio network that grew as large as a dozen stations in the 1950s, with Bob Blackburn joining Rollie Truitt behind the microphone.
After a last-place finish in 1954, Norgan sold the team into community ownership with shares available to the public for $10 each. Approximately 2,400 new owners saw Portland rise to fifth place, just nine games out of first, in 1955.
The first year of community ownership was also the last year for Vaughn Street. Prior to the season, the ballclub’s board of directors announced that the team would move to Multnomah Stadium for 1956; the final day at the old ballpark saw the Beavers sweep Oakland by scores of 6-5 and 5-2 on Sept. 11 to wrap up a fifth-place finish.
The spacious new home - which had actually been around since 1926 - led to a jump in attendance, from just under 200,000 to just over 300,000 in 1956 for a third-place team. The next season, 1957, saw the Beavers drop to last place in what was the final season of the “classic” Pacific Coast League, as it was announced that the Dodgers and Giants would be moving to the West Coast for 1958.
1958-72
The next season the Beavers set an attendance record that would last for more than a half-century, drawing 421,000 fans to Vaughn Street as they finished third and returned to the playoffs. The 1947 season also marked the Portland debut of one of the most popular Beavers ever, second baseman Eddie Basinski; the man known as “The Fiddler” and “The Professor” would play for the club through 1956 and bat .258 while hitting 89 homers and driving in 771 runs.
Portland spent the next several years as an average team, placing between fourth and sixth each from 1948 through 1953. The Beavers integrated in 1949, with shortstop Frankie Austin and outfielder Luis Marquez joining the team.
In 1952, the PCL was granted “Open” status, placing it a step above the other Triple-A leagues but a step below the major leagues. It was also the start of a four-season tenure as manager by Clay Hopper, who had managed the Montreal Royals in 1946 when Jackie Robinson joined that team to break the color line in “organized” baseball.
By now, Vaughn Street had long been flirting with condemnation. In 1953, the Beavers announced plans to build a new ballpark at 82nd and Holgate, but the project never got off the ground. Interest in the Beavers flourished around the state with a radio network that grew as large as a dozen stations in the 1950s, with Bob Blackburn joining Rollie Truitt behind the microphone.
After a last-place finish in 1954, Norgan sold the team into community ownership with shares available to the public for $10 each. Approximately 2,400 new owners saw Portland rise to fifth place, just nine games out of first, in 1955.
The first year of community ownership was also the last year for Vaughn Street. Prior to the season, the ballclub’s board of directors announced that the team would move to Multnomah Stadium for 1956; the final day at the old ballpark saw the Beavers sweep Oakland by scores of 6-5 and 5-2 on Sept. 11 to wrap up a fifth-place finish.
The spacious new home - which had actually been around since 1926 - led to a jump in attendance, from just under 200,000 to just over 300,000 in 1956 for a third-place team. The next season, 1957, saw the Beavers drop to last place in what was the final season of the “classic” Pacific Coast League, as it was announced that the Dodgers and Giants would be moving to the West Coast for 1958.
1958-72
The Pacific Coast League dropped from the “Open” classification back to Triple-A in 1958, and Portland lost some of its baseball identity without competing against West Coast metropolises Los Angeles, Hollywood and San Francisco. Now in a circuit that included cities like Phoenix and Salt Lake City, the Beavers finished fourth.
As the 1960s got underway, Portland also lost control of its on-field identity as the “farm system” took complete control of minor league teams. Signings, trades and releases that had long been left to the Beavers - who controlled the contracts of their players - were now made based on the needs of a major league team supplying the players. It didn’t help that the Beavers spent 1962 and 1963 affiliated with the dreadful Kansas City Athletics, but Portland did manage to avoid the cellar both seasons.
In 1964, the Cleveland Indians sent a squad that included standout pitchers Luis Tiant and Sam McDowell, and Portland finished just a game out of first place in the West Division. The next season, the Beavers won their first title of any type since the 1945 pennant-winners by capturing the division but they fell to Oklahoma City in the PCL championship series.
Minor league crowds dwindled across the nation, though, and Portland’s attendance slipped under 200,000 for all but two years in the 1960s - 1964 and 1967, when the Beavers again finished one game out in the division race. Multnomah Stadium underwent change in 1969, when the city installed artificial turf and part of the renovation included removing the field-level box seats.
Portland fans lost two other longtime ties with the ballclub during the decade. Rollie Truitt called his last game on the radio in 1963 but continued to serve as public address announcer at the stadium through 1972; Rocky Benevento hung up his rake after the 1966 season.
The board of directors put the Beavers up for sale midway through the 1969 season and they were bought by a group of businessmen. Just over a year later, Bill Cutler bought the team and ran it largely as a family operation.
When the city’s practice of booking numerous events into what was now called Civic Stadium made it difficult to devise the 1973 schedule, Cutler proposed moving the franchise to Spokane and the PCL approved the shift for the 1973 season.
As the 1960s got underway, Portland also lost control of its on-field identity as the “farm system” took complete control of minor league teams. Signings, trades and releases that had long been left to the Beavers - who controlled the contracts of their players - were now made based on the needs of a major league team supplying the players. It didn’t help that the Beavers spent 1962 and 1963 affiliated with the dreadful Kansas City Athletics, but Portland did manage to avoid the cellar both seasons.
In 1964, the Cleveland Indians sent a squad that included standout pitchers Luis Tiant and Sam McDowell, and Portland finished just a game out of first place in the West Division. The next season, the Beavers won their first title of any type since the 1945 pennant-winners by capturing the division but they fell to Oklahoma City in the PCL championship series.
Minor league crowds dwindled across the nation, though, and Portland’s attendance slipped under 200,000 for all but two years in the 1960s - 1964 and 1967, when the Beavers again finished one game out in the division race. Multnomah Stadium underwent change in 1969, when the city installed artificial turf and part of the renovation included removing the field-level box seats.
Portland fans lost two other longtime ties with the ballclub during the decade. Rollie Truitt called his last game on the radio in 1963 but continued to serve as public address announcer at the stadium through 1972; Rocky Benevento hung up his rake after the 1966 season.
The board of directors put the Beavers up for sale midway through the 1969 season and they were bought by a group of businessmen. Just over a year later, Bill Cutler bought the team and ran it largely as a family operation.
When the city’s practice of booking numerous events into what was now called Civic Stadium made it difficult to devise the 1973 schedule, Cutler proposed moving the franchise to Spokane and the PCL approved the shift for the 1973 season.
1978-93
The American League expanded by two teams in 1977, and when the Pacific Coast League followed suite a year later it brought Portland back into the circuit for the 1978 season after a five-year absence. Businessman Leo Ornest was the owner and the franchise reclaimed the Beavers nickname, but the return of Triple-A baseball drew under 100,000 fans in Portland for a second-place team.
Things changed in 1979, as 23-year-old Dave Hersh became the youngest team owner in Triple-A history. His promotions included giving away $5,000 worth of diamonds on Mothers Day, appearances by the San Diego Chicken, and letting fans slide into the world’s biggest glass of 7-Up in search of prizes. With the team making a run at the second-half pennant, attendance rose to 160,000.
Hersh’s plans were bigger than his budget, though, and after the 1979 season a plan to pay off the club’s debts included having local businessmen Ron Tonkin and Doug Goodman assume majority control. Hersh remained as vice president and general manager and the promotions continued, including a series of highly-successful exhibition visits by the Pittsburgh Pirates; one pregame home run derby saw Willie Stargell launch a ball into the balcony of the Multnomah Athletic Club. Old-timers games and home run derbies included such luminaries as Bob Feller, Ernie Banks, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Willie Mays.
In 1981, the club signed major league veterans Tiant and Willie Horton to its own contracts and attendance climbed over 190,000. A renovation of Civic Stadium prior to the 1982 season helped attract over 272,000 fans that year.
By 1983, Portland’s pennant drought had reached 38 years, but the change in affiliation to the Philadelphia Phillies helped both clubs. Despite a steady shuffling of players between the two, manager John Felske guided Portland into the PCL playoffs as over 283,000 fans poured in. The Beavers then beat Edmonton and Albuquerque for their first pennant since 1945; Philadelphia also captured the National League flag.
After the 1985 season, the team was sold to former minor leaguer Joe Buzas, who also owned the Class AA Reading Phillies. He tried renaming the team the Phillies but public outcry forced the return of the nickname Beavers.
The Minnesota Twins provided players for three straight playoff teams from 1991-93, powered by outfielder Bernardo Brito. Buzas, who had been dissatisfied with his Civic Stadium lease for some time, found Salt Lake City willing to build a new ballpark and announced during the summer of 1993 that the Beavers would again leave Portland.
Things changed in 1979, as 23-year-old Dave Hersh became the youngest team owner in Triple-A history. His promotions included giving away $5,000 worth of diamonds on Mothers Day, appearances by the San Diego Chicken, and letting fans slide into the world’s biggest glass of 7-Up in search of prizes. With the team making a run at the second-half pennant, attendance rose to 160,000.
Hersh’s plans were bigger than his budget, though, and after the 1979 season a plan to pay off the club’s debts included having local businessmen Ron Tonkin and Doug Goodman assume majority control. Hersh remained as vice president and general manager and the promotions continued, including a series of highly-successful exhibition visits by the Pittsburgh Pirates; one pregame home run derby saw Willie Stargell launch a ball into the balcony of the Multnomah Athletic Club. Old-timers games and home run derbies included such luminaries as Bob Feller, Ernie Banks, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Willie Mays.
In 1981, the club signed major league veterans Tiant and Willie Horton to its own contracts and attendance climbed over 190,000. A renovation of Civic Stadium prior to the 1982 season helped attract over 272,000 fans that year.
By 1983, Portland’s pennant drought had reached 38 years, but the change in affiliation to the Philadelphia Phillies helped both clubs. Despite a steady shuffling of players between the two, manager John Felske guided Portland into the PCL playoffs as over 283,000 fans poured in. The Beavers then beat Edmonton and Albuquerque for their first pennant since 1945; Philadelphia also captured the National League flag.
After the 1985 season, the team was sold to former minor leaguer Joe Buzas, who also owned the Class AA Reading Phillies. He tried renaming the team the Phillies but public outcry forced the return of the nickname Beavers.
The Minnesota Twins provided players for three straight playoff teams from 1991-93, powered by outfielder Bernardo Brito. Buzas, who had been dissatisfied with his Civic Stadium lease for some time, found Salt Lake City willing to build a new ballpark and announced during the summer of 1993 that the Beavers would again leave Portland.
2001-06
The dream of bringing Triple-A Baseball back to Portland was realized in 2000 when the Albuquerque Dukes were purchased, and in the winter of 2000-01, it was announced that the Pacific Coast League would return to Portland in 2001 and the team would again be called the Beavers.
The ballpark - now renamed PGE Park - drew rave reviews for bringing back an old-time baseball atmosphere. The stadium underwent its most substantial transformation in its rich history, with 32 luxury suites, a gargantuan hand-operated scoreboard in left-center field, dark green seats, and a number of seismic and cosmetic upgrades as part of a $38.5 million renovation, completed in record time.
With last-minute details forcing the Beavers to play their first eight “home” games in Pasco, Wash., home of their sister team, the Tri-City Dust Devils, a Class A team formerly operated as the Portland Rockies in the time that there was no Triple-A Baseball in the city. The Beavers christened PGE Park on April 30, 2001, with more than 18,000 fans flooding through the gates to witness the polished stadium and all of its additions.
And almost 440,000 fans came through the gates in 2001, breaking the team’s single-season attendance record that had stood since 1947.
The Beavers struck a four-year affiliation with the Padres when Triple-A returned to Portland, with such standout prospects as Sean Burroughs, Khalil Greene, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Dennis Tankersley, Tagg Bozied and Freddy Guzman making substantial contributions to the team over its first four years with a San Diego connection. The Beavers remained competitive over their first three campaigns before breaking through with one of the best seasons in the team’s 89-year history. A 45-16 record over the team’s final 61 games netted the Beavers the best record in Triple-A Baseball at 84-60 and a trip to the playoffs, where Portland was a first-round casualty to Sacramento.
A new ownership group – Portland Baseball Investment Group – was introduced prior to the 2005 season. The transfer process was complete early in the 2006 campaign, and the group realized a second straight year of substantial business and attendance growth, with the club drawing more than 400,000 fans in 2006.
Despite a 68-76 record on the field in 2006, the Beavers boasted a number of individual achievements. Familiar slugger Jon Knott paced the PCL in home runs (32) and RBIs (113), while the team realized its first-ever perfect game when Ryan Meaux, Aquilino Lopez and Cla Meredith teamed up on a seven-inning gem in the second game of a doubleheader at Sacramento on June 9.
A complete version of "The Portland Beavers (Images of Baseball)" is available for purchase at area bookstores, the PGE Park merchandise store and on Amazon.com.
The ballpark - now renamed PGE Park - drew rave reviews for bringing back an old-time baseball atmosphere. The stadium underwent its most substantial transformation in its rich history, with 32 luxury suites, a gargantuan hand-operated scoreboard in left-center field, dark green seats, and a number of seismic and cosmetic upgrades as part of a $38.5 million renovation, completed in record time.
With last-minute details forcing the Beavers to play their first eight “home” games in Pasco, Wash., home of their sister team, the Tri-City Dust Devils, a Class A team formerly operated as the Portland Rockies in the time that there was no Triple-A Baseball in the city. The Beavers christened PGE Park on April 30, 2001, with more than 18,000 fans flooding through the gates to witness the polished stadium and all of its additions.
And almost 440,000 fans came through the gates in 2001, breaking the team’s single-season attendance record that had stood since 1947.
The Beavers struck a four-year affiliation with the Padres when Triple-A returned to Portland, with such standout prospects as Sean Burroughs, Khalil Greene, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Dennis Tankersley, Tagg Bozied and Freddy Guzman making substantial contributions to the team over its first four years with a San Diego connection. The Beavers remained competitive over their first three campaigns before breaking through with one of the best seasons in the team’s 89-year history. A 45-16 record over the team’s final 61 games netted the Beavers the best record in Triple-A Baseball at 84-60 and a trip to the playoffs, where Portland was a first-round casualty to Sacramento.
A new ownership group – Portland Baseball Investment Group – was introduced prior to the 2005 season. The transfer process was complete early in the 2006 campaign, and the group realized a second straight year of substantial business and attendance growth, with the club drawing more than 400,000 fans in 2006.
Despite a 68-76 record on the field in 2006, the Beavers boasted a number of individual achievements. Familiar slugger Jon Knott paced the PCL in home runs (32) and RBIs (113), while the team realized its first-ever perfect game when Ryan Meaux, Aquilino Lopez and Cla Meredith teamed up on a seven-inning gem in the second game of a doubleheader at Sacramento on June 9.
A complete version of "The Portland Beavers (Images of Baseball)" is available for purchase at area bookstores, the PGE Park merchandise store and on Amazon.com.