- Sacramento Solons
Defunct MiLB infobox
name = Sacramento Solons
firstseason = 1903
lastseason = 1976
allyears = by|1903, by|1905, by|1909 – by|1914, by|1918 – by|1960, by|1974 – by|1976
city = Sacramento, California
cap
lastclasslevel = Triple-A (1949-1951), (1958-1960) (1974-1976).
pastclasslevel = Open/non-affiliated (1952-1957).
*Double-A (1909-1914), (1918-1945).
*Class A (1903), (1905), (1945-49).
lastleague =Pacific Coast League (1903), (1905), (1909-1914), (1918-1944), (1950-51), (1957-61), (1974-1976).
conference =
division =
pastleague = *California League (1891), (1893), (1901), (1908-1909), (1912-13).
lastmajorleague = Texas Rangers (1976), relocated toSpokane, Washington .
pastmajorleague =Milwaukee Brewers (1974-1975)
*San Francisco Giants (1961-62), relocated toPhoenix, Arizona .
*Milwaukee Braves (1959-1960).
*"open team" non-affiliated (1952-56).
*Chicago White Sox (1950-1951)
*Washington Senators (1945-49) in the California League.
*St. Louis Cardinals (1936-1944).
*Brooklyn Dodgers (1935).
lastnickname = Sacramento Solons (1936-1960), (1974-1976)
pastnames = Sacramento Sacts (1909-1914)
*Sacramento Senators (1891), (1893), (1901), (1903), (1908-1909), (1918-1935)
lastballpark = Hughes Stadium (1974-1976)
pastparks =Edmonds Field (1936-1960) (called Cardinal Field and Doubleday Park at various times)
classchamps =
leaguechamps = 1938, 1939
conferencechamps=
divisionchamps = The Sacramento Solons were aminor league baseball team based inSacramento, California . They played in thePacific Coast League during several periods (1903, 1905, 1909-1914, 1918-1960, 1974-1976). The currentSacramento River Cats began play in 2000. Along with thePortland Beavers , who have a similar part-time heritage with the league, Sacramento is one of two charter cities with a team currently in the league, the other PCL cities having been taken over bymajor league baseball franchises.Nickname
The team derived its name from Sacramento's status as
capital ofCalifornia .Solon was an early Greek lawmaker and the term "solons" was often used by journalists as a synonym for "senators." Solon Huntington was a prominent Sacramento businessman during the 19th century, though less famous than his brother (Collis Huntington ) and son (Henry Huntington ).The team was also known at times as the Sacramento Sacts, an abbreviation of the name of the city, and the Sacramento Senators.Early years
The first version of the Sacramento Solons (also known as the Sacts) was a charter member of the PCL in 1903, along with the Los Angeles Angels,
Portland Beavers , Oakland Oaks, San Francisco Seals, and Seattle Indians. Although the Solons finished second in the inaugural year, attendance was not good and the team moved toTacoma for the 1904 season, renamed theTacoma Tigers . The Tigers won the PCL pennant in 1904 and won the first half of the split 1905 season before falling off so dramatically in the second half that the team was returned to Sacramento to finish out the season, where it lost the postseason series to the Angels.The Sacramento team moved to Fresno in 1906, renamed the
Fresno Raisin Eaters , then returned to Sacramento in 1907, where it played in the California League for the next three seasons. The Solons returned to the PCL in 1909, but were mired in the second division for the next few years. In 1914, attendance was so bad that the Solons moved toSan Francisco in the middle of the season, finishing out the year as theSan Francisco Missions . The team was sold toSalt Lake City businessman Bill "Hardpan" Lane after that season and moved there for the 1915 season, renamed theSalt Lake Bees .Heyday
When Portland dropped out of the league after the 1917 season, a new Sacramento franchise was admitted to the PCL in 1918. For most of its existence, the Sacramento team finished in the second division, but there were a few bright spots. Originally known as the Senators, the team was purchased by
Branch Rickey in 1935 and renamed the Sacramento Solons. The Solons finished first in 1937 but lost the postseason series to the San Diego Padres. In 1942 the Solons won their first -- and only -- Pacific Coast League pennant.These were the glory years of the
Pacific Coast League , during which it was unrivaled for the attention of West Coast baseball fans. The Solons drew reasonably well when featured opponents included teams fromLos Angeles ,Hollywood ,San Francisco , and Oakland. But after 1957, when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved to California, the aforementioned teams had removed to Spokane,Salt Lake City , Phoenix, and Vancouver respectively. Moreover, the relative proximity of theSan Francisco Giants also took its toll on attendance. After the 1960 season, the team was sold and moved toHonolulu and renamed theHawaii Islanders for 1961. The francise still exists as theColorado Springs Sky Sox .Minor League Return
The third version of the Sacramento Solons began during the AAA realignment in 1969 as the
Eugene Emeralds . After the 1973 season, it was determined that Eugene was too small to support PCL baseball, and the team was moved to Sacramento for the 1974 season, taking the name of its predecessor teams, the Sacramento Solons. The Solons' old stadium, Edmonds Field, had long since been demolished. The only available facility was 23,500-seat Hughes Stadium, a football facility, the dimensions of which made the stadium a hitters' paradise. Left field, in particular, was less than the regulation minimum 250 feet from home plate. Despite the long-ball barrage, attendance was poor during the three seasons of the team's existence. The Solons' owners "leased" the team to San Jose for the 1977 and 1978 seasons, when the team was known as theSan Jose Missions , in hopes of obtaining a new baseball-only facility. After two seasons of dismal attendance in San Jose, the team was sold and moved toOgden, Utah for the 1979 season.The Pacific Coast League returned to the capital city in 2000 when a group of area businessmen lead by majority owner Art Savage purchased the Vancouver Canadians of the PCL and moved the team to Sacramento. Foregoing the traditional name of Sacramento baseball teams, the owners named the team the
Sacramento River Cats . Unlike their predecessors, who were often troubled at the box office, the River Cats have led all of Minor League Baseball in attendance during each of its seasons in Sacramento.Affiliations
The Solons were affiliated with the following major league teams:
References
*O'Neal, Bill. "The Pacific Coast League 1903-1988." Eakin Press, Austin TX, 1990. ISBN 0-89015-776-6.
*Snelling, Dennis. "The Pacific Coast League: A Statistical History, 1903-1957" McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 1995. ISBN 0-7864-0045-5.External links
* [http://www.sacramentosolons.com/ Sacramento Solons History]
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