The Yakima Valley Braves, was the final name of a minor league baseball club, located in

Yakima, Washington Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...

, playing from 1965 to 1966 as members of the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...

. Yakima hosted professional baseball beginning in 1937 through 1965 with a brief hiatus between 1942 and 1945 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Playing under various names, Yakima was a member of the

Western International League The Western International League was a mid- to higher-level minor league baseball circuit in the Pacific Northwest United States and western Canada that operated in 1922, 1937 to 1942 and 1946 to 1954. In 1955, the Western International League ev ...

History

The Pippins were the club to represent Yakima, starting in 1937. The franchise used the Pippins name through 1941 when the club suspended operations. Likewise, the Western International League suspended play after the 1942 season. The Pippins name was resurrected in by the

Yakima Valley Pippins The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCB ...

of the collegiate wood bat

West Coast League The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCB ...

. The League resumed play in 1946 with Yakima returning to the field under a new name, the Stars. The Stars were affiliated with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in 1946. In 1948 the club changed names again to the Yakima Packers. The Packers finished the season in last place. In 1949 the club adopted a new moniker, the Yakima Bears. In their first season the Bears advanced to the post-season. The Bears defeated the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

in the semi-final series, but were swept by the

Vancouver Capilanos The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1956– 62 and – 69. Its home field was Capilano Stadium. During the Mounties' first ...

in the championship. The following season the Bears posted a record on 92–58 to claim the league championship. In 1956 won their second league title, finishing the year at 86–45. Professional baseball returned to Yakima in 1990. The Northwest League franchise revived

Yakima Bears The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season, ...

playing as an affiliate of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

and

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 ...

until 2012.

Season-by-season record

Notable alumni

Rico Carty Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty (born September 1, 1939), nicknamed "Beeg Boy", is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1963 to 1979, most prominently as a member of the Atlanta Br ...

(1962) MLB All-Star; 1970 NL Batting Title *

Mike Lum Michael Ken-Wai Lum (born October 27, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball player and coach who became the first American of Japanese ancestry to play in the major leagues when he debuted with the Atlanta Braves in . He currently serves as the ...

(1965) *

Lee Maye Arthur Lee Maye (December 11, 1934 – July 17, 2002) was an American Major League Baseball player. He played eleven seasons in the majors as an outfielder for the Milwaukee Braves (1959–1965), Houston Astros (1965–1966), Cleveland Indians ...

(1955) * Dennis Menke (1961) 2 x MLB All-Star * Felix Millan (1965) 3 x MLB All-Star *

Carl Morton Carl Wendle Morton (January 18, 1944 – April 12, 1983) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Montreal Expos and the Atlanta Braves. Morton was named the ...

(1965) 1970 NL Rookie of the Year *

Bill Robinson Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...

{{div col end Baseball teams established in 1937 Baseball teams disestablished in 1966 Defunct Northwest League teams Professional baseball teams in Washington (state) 1937 establishments in Washington (state) 1966 disestablishments in Washington (state) Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates Milwaukee Braves minor league affiliates Atlanta Braves minor league affiliates