The Southern California League was a minor league baseball league that played in the 1886, 1899, 1900 and 1913 seasons. The Class D level four–team Southern California League consisted of franchises based in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The Southern California League permanently folded during the 1913 season.

History

An independent league called the Southern California League played in the 1886, 1899 and 1900 seasons. The 1886 teams are unknown. The 1899 teams were the Los Angeles Angelenos, Los Angeles Merchants, San Bernardino Grays and San Diego Fullers. The San Bernardino Grays won the 1899 league championship. The 1900 teams were Azusa, Los Angeles, Los Angeles-Pacific and San Diego. No official league standings are known of the 1896 and 1900 seasons. The Southern California League was formed for the 1913 season as a four–team Class D minor league under the direction of league president Jay Davidson. The Southern California League began play in the 1913 season hosting franchises from

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

(

Long Beach Beachcombers The Long Beach Beachcombers was the final moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Long Beach, California in 1910 and 1913. Long Beach teams played as members of the Class D level Southern California Trolley League in 1910 and the Sou ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

( Pasadena Millionaires), San Bernardino, California (San Bernardino Kittens) and

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

( San Diego Bears). The San Bernardino Kittens were owned by player/owner and namesake,

Kitty Brashear Norman Cobb "Kitty" Brashear (August 27, 1877 – December 22, 1934) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for the 1899 Louisville Colonels. He played in the minor leagues through 1915. His brother, Roy Brashear Roy Parks Brashear (January 3, ...

. The Southern California League officially began play on April 22, 1913. San Bernardino had a home opener crowd of 1,000 at Urbita Springs Park, where Mayor Joseph Bright threw out the ceremonial first pitch before San Bernardino defeated Long Beach 12–4 and begin a seven–game winning streak to start the season. Pasadena had attendance of 1,600 at their home opener. The Southern California League had scheduled Sunday double headers, with the first game being scheduled on Sunday morning. This led to disputes with local clergy in the host locales and schedules were rearranged. Teams began to struggle financially and president Jay Davidson suggested that each team issue stock. In 1913, Homer Miller and Blount, pitching for the Long Beach Beachcombers, threw consecutive Southern California League

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

s against the San Diego Bears. The league was scheduled in a split–season format, with champions in each half of the season. Pasadena had a 15–38 record when the franchise moved to Santa Barbara on June 13, 1913 to become the Santa Barbara Barbareans. The San Diego Bears won the first half of the season. In the second half, the Santa Barbara Barbareans were leading the second half when the Southern California League permanently disbanded on July 23, 1913. The San Diego Bears (56–33) had the best overall record, followed by the San Bernardino Kittens (48–38), Long Beach Beachcombers (43–46) and Pasadena Millionaires/Santa Barbara Barbareans (27–57). During the season, the San Diego Bears had a 20–game winning streak that ended on the final day of league play.

Southern California League teams

Standings & statistics

1899 Southern California League Playoffs: None were held 1913 Southern California League Pasadena (15–38) moved to Santa Barbara June 13
League folded July 23

Notable alumni

* Spencer Abbott (1913) *

(1913) * George Cobb (1899) * Bull Durham (1913) *

Ed Householder Edward H. Householder (October 12, 1869 – July 3, 1924)"Ed House ...

(1913) *

Jesse Stovall Jesse Cramer Stovall (July 24, 1875 – July 12, 1955) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for two seasons. He played for the Cleveland Naps in 1903 and the Detroit Tigers in 1904, pitching in 28 career games. His younger brothers, Geo ...

(1913)

References

{{Professional Baseball Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in California Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 1913 Sports leagues disestablished in 1913 1913 establishments in California