The Pacific Northwest League was a professional Minor League Baseball league based in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. It was the first professional baseball league ever in the region.

History

Founding

The Pacific Northwest League was founded in 1890. In January 1890, investors met in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

to discuss a four-to-six team league in the

. The league folded during the second half of the season because of a nationwide economic depression known as the "

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

." During its time, the league was known for its former Major League players such as Kid Baldwin and Ollie Beard. In 1892 the league President was W. E. Rockwell and the Secretary was M. J. Roche. The league was revived briefly in , but only lasted until mid-June. The 1896 version was also known as the New Pacific League. Early rules for the league included salary caps of $1,000 per month but was later raised to $1,300 per month. The league agreed to add a team from

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

and either

Wardner, Idaho Wardner is a city in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. Located in the Silver Valley mining region, the population was 188 at the 2010 census, down from 215 in 2000. Geography Wardner is located at (47.523164, -116.134190), at an elevation ...

Wallace, Idaho Wallace, Idaho is a city in and the county seat of Shoshone County, Idaho, in the Silver Valley mining district of the Idaho Panhandle. Founded in 1884, Wallace sits alongside the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River (and Interstate 90), appro ...

in the beginning of 1892 and the league was also close to adding a team from

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

but folded before anything was announced. The league denied

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

a baseball team in 1892.

Second resurrection

The second Pacific Northwest League began play in as a four-team league, and was a six-team Class B circuit in when the minors were first classified. The next season it expanded with teams in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

and was renamed the

Pacific National League The Pacific National League was a minor league baseball league that played from 1903 to 1905. The league evolved from its predecessor, the Pacific Northwest League and was a competitor of the newly formed Pacific Coast League. The league began ...

. The league competed with the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

, and eventually folded after the 1905 season. The President of the league for the two years was William Henry Lucas.

Teams

Pacific Northwest League: 1890 to 1892

Pacific Northwest League, AKA New Pacific League: 1896

Pacific Northwest League: 1898

Portland, OR Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous cou ...

Portland Webfoots The Portland Webfoots were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest League. They were based in Portland, Oregon and were active for only two years, and . They played at Vaughn Street Ballpark. When the Pacific Northwest League a ...

1898 *

Seattle, WA Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...

: Seattle Clamdiggers 1898 *

Spokane, WA Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canadi ...

: Spokane Siwashes 1898 *

Tacoma, WA Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park ...

: Tacoma Owls 1898

Pacific Northwest League: 1901 to 1902

Pacific National League: 1903 to 1905

Standings and statistics

1890 to 1892

1890 Pacific Northwest League 1891 Pacific Northwest League 1892 Pacific Northwest League

1896, 1898

1896 Pacific Northwest League a/k/a/ New Pacific League The league disbanded June 15. 1898 Pacific Northwest League

1901 to 1902

1901 Pacific Northwest League
schedule
1902 Pacific Northwest Leagueschedule

Hall of Fame alumni

Clark Griffith Clark Calvin Griffith (November 20, 1869 – October 27, 1955), nicknamed "The Old Fox", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, manager and team owner. He began his MLB playing career with the St. Louis Browns (1891), Boston Reds ...

, 1892

Tacoma Daisies The Tacoma Daisies were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Northwest League. They were based in Tacoma, Washington and played in Tacoma Baseball Park. The Daisies were active for three seasons, winning the league championshi ...

Joe Tinker Joseph Bert Tinker (July 27, 1880 – July 27, 1948) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played from 1902 through 1916 for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Chicago Whales of the ...

, 1901

References

External links

Baseball Reference
{{Professional Baseball Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Oregon Baseball leagues in Washington (state) Baseball leagues in Montana