Yakima Bears

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Yakima Bears
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass A-Short Season
DivisionEast Division
Previous leagues
Northwest League
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles (2)
  • 1996
  • 2000
Division titles (4)
  • 1991
  • 1994
  • 1996
  • 2000
Team data
ColorsCardinal Red, black, gray, white
       
Previous parks

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, the franchise relocated to Hillsboro, Oregon, and became Hillsboro Hops.

History[edit]

After 23 summers without minor league baseball, Yakima returned to the Northwest League in 1990.[1] The Salem Dodgers moved from Salem after the 1989 season, bringing with them their affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers.[2]

In 2001, the Bears changed their affiliation to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Relocation to Hillsboro[edit]

The Yakima Bears had been frustrated by the lack of progress on a new stadium that would meet minor league standards, even though a new stadium was built and opened in 1993 to meet similar demands, and a declining local economy.[3] The Triple-A Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League had departed for Tucson after the 2010 season, so the Portland metropolitan area was without minor league baseball. In 2011, the city of Vancouver, Washington, presented a proposal on May 13 for a new ballpark to be built on the Clark College campus, ready to host the Yakima Bears franchise for the 2012 season.[4]

After that deal fell through, the team received an offer sheet from Hillsboro, a suburb west of Portland, in June 2012 with plans to start play there in a new ballpark in 2013.[5] Four months later on October 16, the team announced its upcoming move to Hillsboro and was renamed the Hillsboro Hops for the 2013 season. The Hops proceeded to win the 2014 and 2015 Northwest League championships.

The Bears were replaced one year later with the formation of the Yakima Valley Pippins of the West Coast League.

Early Yakima Baseball[edit]

The history of baseball in Yakima stretches back 104 years ago to 1920 with the short-lived Yakima Indians of the Class B level Pacific Coast International League. The Indians lasted only two seasons, closing in 1921 as the league became the Western International League in 1922.

Yakima entered the WIL in 1937 as the Yakima Pippins,[6] reflecting the local area's apple-growing heritage, lasting until the 1941 season due to World War II. In 1946, as the WIL resumed play, Yakima again fielded a team, this time named the Yakima Stars, with their own team airplane.[7] Renaming themselves the Yakima Packers for the 1948 season,[8] the team finally settled on the Yakima Bears in 1949, lasting through the reformation of the WIL into the Northwest League, as the Bears became a charter member of the seven-team Class B NWL in the 1955 season.[9] The team played at Parker Field, constructed in 1937 for the Pippins.[10][11]

The Bears' time in the early years of the NWL were fruitful, as they won six league titles in nine years (1956,[12] 1958,[13] 1959,[14][15] 1960,[16] 1963,[17] and 1964[18]). A fire in March 1962 destroyed the wooden grandstand at Parker Field,[19][20] which was quickly rebuilt.[21] In April 1964, the team was renamed the Yakima Braves,[22] due to an agreement with the Milwaukee Braves, their parent club since 1958. The team played as the Braves for three seasons, through 1966.[10][23] The 1966 season was the first for the NWL as a short season league.[24]

Ballparks[edit]

The Bears played at Yakima County Stadium. The park still is in use today, located at 1220 Pacific Avenue, Yakima, Washington.[25] The stadium remains in use today and is the current home of the Yakima Pippins of the West Coast League. Prior to 1993 the Bears played at Parker Field, located at 1000 S. 12th Avenue.[26]

Season-by-season record[edit]

Season PDC Division Finish Wins Losses Win% Post-season Manager Attendance
Yakima Bears
1990 LAD North 2nd 36 40 .474 Jerry Royster 71,892
1991 LAD North 1st 44 32 .579 Lost to Boise in championship series 2-0 Joe Vavra 81,835
1992 LAD North 2nd 36 40 .474 Joe Vavra 65,684
1993 LAD North 4th 30 46 .395 John Shoemaker 86,822
1994 LAD North 1st 49 27 .645 Lost to Boise in championship series 2-1 Joe Vavra 85,483
1995 LAD North 4th 27 48 .360 Joe Vavra 81,570
1996 LAD North 1st 40 36 .526 Defeated Eugene in championship series 2-1 Joe Vavra 82,313
1997 LAD North 4th 23 53 .303 Joe Vavra 80,003
1998 LAD North 4th 32 44 .321 Tony Harris 76,049
1999 LAD North 4th 33 43 .434 Dino Ebel 74,977
Yakima Bears
2000 LAD East 1st 41 35 .539 Defeated Eugene in championship series 3-2 Butch Hughes 68,905
2001 ARI East 3rd 33 42 .440 Greg Lonigro 59,000
2002 ARI East 4th 23 53 .303 Mike Aldrete 56,404
2003 ARI East 2nd 45 31 .592 Bill Plummer 60,037
2004 ARI East 4th 35 41 .461 Bill Plummer 51,544
2005 ARI East 4th 30 46 .395 Jay Gainer 60,150
2006 ARI East 4th 28 48 .368 Jay Gainer 63,400
Yakima Bears
2007 ARI East 4th 33 43 .434 Mike Bell 70,117
2008 ARI East 4th 28 48 .368 Bob Didier 72,207
2009 ARI East 4th 28 48 .368 Bob Didier 72,881
2010 ARI East 2nd 43 33 .566 Lost to Spokane in division series 2-0 Bob Didier 70,695
2011 ARI East 4th 33 43 .434 Audo Vicente 66,545
2012 ARI East 3rd 36 40 .474 Audo Vicente 61,895
Division winner League champions

Notable ex-Bears[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Sports people". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. staff and wire reports. January 16, 1990. p. C2.
  2. ^ Rodman, Bob (November 24, 1989). "Dodger franchise looks to Yakima". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 2B.
  3. ^ Courtney, Ross (May 27, 2011). "Bad news, Bears: Team takes one step closer to relocation". Yakima Herald-Republic. Washington. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  4. ^ Fentress, Aaron (13 May 2011). "Single-A Yakima Bears baseball team could land in Vancouver by 2012". The Oregonian. Portland.
  5. ^ Theen, Andrew (June 6, 2012). "Hillsboro sets stage for baseball's return to the Portland metro area". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  6. ^ "Tacoma trims Yakima Pippins". Evening Record. Ellensburg, Washington. Associated Press. August 28, 1937. p. 6.
  7. ^ "Yakima Stars to move by air". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 7, 1946. p. 10.
  8. ^ "Yakima ball club becomes "Packers"". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. October 13, 1947. p. 15.
  9. ^ May, Danny (April 26, 1955). "Tribe, Broncs in N.W. bow tonight". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 14.
  10. ^ a b "Baseball seen dead for Yakima Braves". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. September 14, 1966. p. 40.
  11. ^ "Deed return is asked of Yakima". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 25, 1960. p. 12.
  12. ^ "Bears divide; Chiefs take 2". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. September 10, 1956. p. 3B.
  13. ^ "Yakima takes playoff". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. September 7, 1958. p. 1B.
  14. ^ "Yakima winner of 2d half in photo finish style". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. Associated Press. September 8, 1959. p. 8.
  15. ^ "Yakima cops NWL crown". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. September 13, 1959. p. 1B.
  16. ^ "Yakima Bears win pennant, margin close". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. Associated Press. September 6, 1960. p. 8.
  17. ^ "Yakima takes league honor". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. September 7, 1963. p. 9.
  18. ^ Harvey, Paul III (September 11, 1964). "Yakima wins NWL crown by belting Emeralds, 16-7". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 2B.
  19. ^ "Fire destroys ball park". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. UPI. March 13, 1962. p. 2B.
  20. ^ "Yakima ballpark burns". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 14, 1962. p. 6.
  21. ^ Harvey, Paul III (August 12, 1965). "Bus, park burn but Yakima in black". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 2D.
  22. ^ "Yakima nine now called Braves". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. April 5, 1964. p. 2B.
  23. ^ "Braves move Yakima club". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 5, 1967. p. 13.
  24. ^ "Northwest League assured for 1966". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. November 30, 1965. p. 3B.
  25. ^ "Yakima approves new baseball park". Spokane Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. June 15, 1992. p. C1.
  26. ^ Geranios, Nicholas G. (November 23, 1991). "Minor league parks face major overhauls". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. p. 2B.

External links[edit]

Preceded by Northwest League franchise
1990–2012 		Succeeded by
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