Phoenix Firebirds
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The Phoenix Firebirds were a Minor League Baseball team that played in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, from 1958 to 1959, and from 1966 to 1997. Before 1986, the team was known as the Phoenix Giants. The franchise was a member of the Triple-A
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
(PCL), and were the top minor league affiliate of the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
. The Firebirds were forced to leave Phoenix following the 1997 season, as the new
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
expansion team, the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
would begin play in Phoenix the following year. In a complicated series of events, the owners of the Firebirds moved their team to
Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
, and became the
Tucson Sidewinders , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
, dropping their affiliation with the Giants in favor of the expansion Diamondbacks. The owners of the existing
Tucson Toros The Tucson Toros were a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. The original Toros were a Triple-A minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League from 1969 to 1997, where they won the PCL Championship in ...
then moved their franchise to
Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...
, thus ending a 92-year hiatus of PCL baseball in Fresno. The transplanted Toros, renamed the
Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in do ...
, became the Giants' new PCL affiliate.


History

The Firebirds were known as the Phoenix Giants until the 1986 season. They were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants for their entire existence, now a rarity in the minor leagues. The Giants still have a spring training facility in the Phoenix area, but in Scottsdale where the Firebirds played from 1992 to 1997. The Giants first came in 1958 but moved to Tacoma,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
after the 1959 season. In 1966 the franchise returned to the Phoenix area until their move to Fresno. The Firebirds played their home games at
Phoenix Municipal Stadium Phoenix Municipal Stadium is a baseball stadium, located in Phoenix, Arizona. It is often referred in short as Phoenix Muni. The stadium was built in 1964 and holds 8,775 people. It is currently the home to the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball p ...
until moving to
Scottsdale Stadium Scottsdale Stadium is a ballpark located in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Designed by the owner of the Baltimore Orioles’ Camden Yards, the stadium was expanded to its current state in 1992 and holds 12,000 people. It has been the spring ...
upon its reopening in 1992. Their final regular season game in August 1997 was played at their original ball park and featured ceremonies including "passing the torch" to the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
, the major league team which became Phoenix's baseball team. The team made the 1997 PCL playoffs their final year, which extended their existence by a couple weeks. The Firebirds defeated the
Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...
3-0 in the first round but lost the championship series 3 games to 1 to the
Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. The ...
.


Championships

The Phoenix Giants won two PCL championships in 1959 and 1977. The franchise never won a championship title under the Firebirds name. The franchise's final game was September 11, 1997, a 7-1 loss handing the
Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. The ...
the 1997 PCL Championship played at
Scottsdale Stadium Scottsdale Stadium is a ballpark located in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Designed by the owner of the Baltimore Orioles’ Camden Yards, the stadium was expanded to its current state in 1992 and holds 12,000 people. It has been the spring ...
.


Playoff history

* 1977 ** Championship: Defeated
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
3 games to 2 * 1985 ** Division Series: Defeated
Hawaii Islanders The Hawaii Islanders were a minor league baseball team based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for 27 seasons from 1961 through 1987. Originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics, the Islanders played ...
3 games to 0 ** Championship: Lost to
Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...
3 games to 0 * 1986 ** Division Series: Lost to Las Vegas Stars 3 games to 2 * 1996 ** Division Series: Defeated Las Vegas Stars 3 games to 0 ** Championship: Lost to
Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. The ...
3 games to 1 * 1997 ** Division Series: Defeated
Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...
3 games to 0 ** Championship: Lost to
Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. The ...
3 games to 1


Alumni

Several Giants alumni like
Willie McCovey Willie Lee McCovey (January 10, 1938 – October 31, 2018), nicknamed "Stretch", "Mac" and "Willie Mac", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1959 to 1980, most notably as a mem ...
, Bobby Bonds, Matt Williams, Steve Stone, and
Kirt Manwaring Kirt Dean Manwaring (born July 15, 1965) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from through , most prominently as a member of the San Francisco Giants, with whom he played for the majo ...
played in Phoenix. Some of the Phoenix alumni went on to San Francisco, to take part in two of the Giants' National League titles (1962 and 1989).


References

{{Reflist Baseball teams established in 1986 Defunct Pacific Coast League teams Sports in Phoenix, Arizona Sports clubs disestablished in 1997 San Francisco Giants minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Arizona Professional baseball teams in Arizona