Building Baseball Teams in Sacramento

Learn how Sacramento's baseball teams and ballparks were formed and evolved.

The History of Baseball in Sacramento Part 3/7 Narrator: Sacramento’s first professional team was the 1886 Outers of the California League and its first two ball field was Agricultural Park near Beer 28. But truth is Beer might have been bigger than the team. William: A lot of really baseball can be trace back to beer. Remember that Sacramento was as hot as it is now, but it was not the air condition that we have now. Narrator: Sacramento second team, again, beer. William: The Gilt Edge was named after a beer. Alan: That was Ruhstaller’s Brewery was their top beer in 1998 or 1901. There was the Gild Edge also called the Brewers. Narrator: Their second ball park at SN 28 Whiskey. Alan: The Snowflake Park was named after a whiskey, the top whiskey produced by Hall Luhrs Company. William: People talked about Downtown Baseball Park. Baseball Park historically be always Downtown. One of the early figures in Sacramento Baseball was Edward Tripp. He was associated with a Buffalo Brewing Company. When the Pacific Coast League was formed, Gee was the one who’s responsible for building the Ball Park at Riverside in Broadway. He picked the location at Riverside in the Broadway because it was just outside the City limits. Edward Tripp did not want to have to do over the Sacramento Police Department. You can actually with this new Ball Park he was building. A future attraction was a full of beer. They planned a big part in the early history of Sacramento baseball. Narrator: Beer got the game started. But 1903 was the year it began to stand on its own. Back then the new Sacramento Senators beat the Oakland Oaks in what would be the first game of the Pacific Coast League. Male: The Pacific Coast Leagues begins a marvelous history with just fabulous names Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio just a galaxy of talent who came to the Coast League to ultimately play major baseball. And one thing people have to remember is that there were no major leagues in California in 1903. All of the major leagues were in this Coast. California was sort of distant planet far away from the orbit of the major leagues cities. Pacific Coast League was the center of that Universe and the play has evolved over the years. It was considered to be a third major league. Narrator: For the next six decades, the PCO was West-Coast Baseball. For 1918 to 1960, baseball would be played at the corner of Riverside in Broadway and that great park with many names. It was once Buffalo Park and after of course beer. The Moreing after team all, Cardinal when they became a Saint Louis affiliate. Doubleday when Saint Louis abandoned the team. And finally, Edmonds Field for Dick Edmonds, the sportswriter who’s successfully beat the team in town in 1944. Along in the way, the team also took the name that it first no one understands. Alan: A Solon is a legislator and since this was the capital city and originally when we came into Pacific Coast League, we were called the Senators. They would occasionally call us the Solons. Narrator: The name stocked and players wearing that uniform would actually changes that it times were felt far beyond this stadium walls. Male: You can tell the story of the baseball and it’s often the story of America. Narrator: by the 1930s, changes will come for our Nation. And those playing baseball would routine lay lead the way.