Seattle Rainiers
From BR Bullpen
- Location: Seattle, WA
- League: Pacific Coast League 1919-1921, 1938-1964; Northwest League 1972-1976
- Affiliation: Boston Braves 1935, 1946; Detroit Tigers 1948; Cincinnati Reds 1956-1960; Boston Red Sox 1961-1964; Co-op 1972; Cincinnati Reds 1973-1974
- Ballpark: Dugdale Field 1919-1921; Civic Field 1938; Sicks Stadium 1938-1964
The Seattle Rainiers were a longtime member of the Pacific Coast League, beginning play in 1919. The club, known as the Seattle Indians from 1922-1937, was renamed the Rainiers in 1938 when beer magnate Emil Sick bought the team. That same season, the team began play in Sicks Stadium. The team played in the PCL for 27 seasons as the Rainiers before the California Angels bought the franchise from Sick and renamed the team the Seattle Angels. That lasted until 1969, when the American League placed the expansion Seattle Pilots in the city. When the Pilots left for Milwaukee after a single trouble-plagued season, the Rainiers returned from 1972 through 1976 as a Northwest League team before major league baseball again displaced the team.
[edit] Year-by-Year Record
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 62-108 | 8th | Bill Clymer (38-70) / Charlie Mullen (24-38) | none |
| 1920 | 102-91 | 2nd | Buzzy Wares | none |
| 1921 | 103-82 | 4th | Buzzy Wares / Bill Kenworthy | none |
| 1938 | 100-75 | 2nd | Jack Lelivelt | Lost in 1st round |
| 1939 | 101-73 | 1st | Jack Lelivelt | Lost in 1st round |
| 1940 | 112-66 | 1st | Jack Lelivelt | League Champs |
| 1941 | 104-70 | 1st | Bill Skiff | League Champs |
| 1942 | 96-82 | 3rd | Bill Skiff | League Champs |
| 1943 | 85-70 | 3rd | Bill Skiff | Lost League Finals |
| 1944 | 84-85 | 5th | Bill Skiff | |
| 1945 | 105-78 | 2nd | Bill Skiff | Lost League Finals |
| 1946 | 74-109 | 7th (t) | Bill Skiff / Jo-Jo White | |
| 1947 | 91-95 | 5th | Jo-Jo White | |
| 1948 | 93-95 | 4th | Jo-Jo White | Lost League Finals |
| 1949 | 95-93 | 5th | Jo-Jo White (56-54) / Bill Lawrence (39-39) | |
| 1950 | 96-104 | 6th | Paul Richards | none |
| 1951 | 99-68 | 1st | Rogers Hornsby | League Champs |
| 1952 | 96-84 | 3rd | Bill Sweeney | none |
| 1953 | 98-82 | 2nd | Bill Sweeney | none |
| 1954 | 77-85 | 5th | Jerry Priddy | |
| 1955 | 95-77 | 1st | Fred Hutchinson | none |
| 1956 | 91-77 | 2nd | Luke Sewell / Bill Brenner | none |
| 1957 | 87-80 | 5th | Lefty O'Doul | none |
| 1958 | 68-86 | 8th | Connie Ryan | none |
| 1959 | 74-80 | 7th | Fred Hutchinson / Alan Strange | none |
| 1960 | 77-75 | 4th | Dick Sisler | none |
| 1961 | 86-68 | 3rd | Johnny Pesky | none |
| 1962 | 76-74 | 4th | Johnny Pesky | none |
| 1963 | 68-90 | 10th | Mel Parnell | |
| 1964 | 81-75 | 7th | Edo Vanni | |
| 1972 | 30-50 | 6th | Ray Washburn | |
| 1973 | 33-46 | 5th | Jim Hoff | none |
| 1974 | 45-39 | 5th | Greg Riddoch | |
| 1975 | 35-44 | 5th | Ron Gibson / Doug Peterson / Bill Tsoukalas | |
| 1976 | 39-33 | 3rd | Arthur Peterson |
[edit] Further Reading
- Dan Raley: "A man named Sick made Seattle well", in Mark Armour, ed.: Rain Check: Baseball in the Pacific Northwest, Society for American Baseball Research, Cleveland, OH, 2006, pp. 56-62.
