The
Oakland Oaks were a
minor league baseballMinor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team in
Oakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
that played in the
Pacific Coast LeagueThe Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
from 1903 through 1955, after which the club transferred to Vancouver, British Columbia. The team was named for the city and used the
oakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
tree and the
acornThe acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
as its symbols.
Team history
Along with the
Los Angeles AngelsThe Los Angeles Angels were a team based in Los Angeles, California that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 through 1957, after which they transferred to Spokane, Washington to become the Spokane Indians. Los Angeles would later become the host city to a Major League Baseball team, the...
,
Portland BeaversThe Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
,
Sacramento SolonsThe Sacramento Solons were a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Pacific Coast League during several periods . The current Sacramento River Cats began play in 2000...
, San Francisco Seals, and
Seattle IndiansThe Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels, were a minor league baseball team in Seattle, Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903-06 and 1919-68...
, the Oaks were charter members of the Pacific Coast League which was founded in 1903.
In their first year of competition, 1903, the team finished last, and finished either last or next to last place four more times before winning its first PCL pennant in 1912. The Oaks (or “Acorns” as they were also called) played their home games at Freeman’s Park at 59th Street and San Pablo Avenue and at
Recreation ParkRecreation Park was the name applied to several former baseball parks in San Francisco, California in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century....
in San Francisco.
After the 1912 season, the Oaks opened their new stadium, named Oakland Ball Park (or simply
Oaks ParkOaks Park, formally known as the Oakland Baseball Park, and at times nicknamed Emeryville Park, was a baseball stadium in Emeryville, California. It was primarily used for baseball, and was the home field of the Oakland Oaks Pacific Coast League baseball team. It opened in 1913 and held 7,000...
) though it was located in the neighboring city of
EmeryvilleEmeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
at San Pablo and Park Avenues. In their first season at Oaks Park the Acorns finished last, and were mired in the second division for more than a decade.
In 1916, a struggling Oaks team made history by (inadvertently) breaking the
professional baseball color lineThe color line in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Organized Baseball, or the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues, until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization for the 1946 season...
, as
Jimmy ClaxtonJimmy Claxton was a black baseball pitcher, and the first black man to play organized white baseball in the twentieth century....
pitched in both ends of a double-header on May 28, 1916. He was introduced to the team as an American Indian, but once the team discovered that his ancestry was both Native American and African, he was fired.
The Oaks were owned by PCL founding father J. Cal Ewing from 1903 until the 1920s. Ewing also owned the San Francisco Seals, which allowed the clubs to share their ballparks at various times with no problem, but the leaders of Organized Baseball eventually made Ewing choose one or the other, and he divested his interests in the Oakland club.
In 1927, the Oaks won their first pennant at Oaks Park, finishing 120-75 (.615), 14½ games over the runner-up Seals.
In 1943, a controlling interest in the Oaks was purchased by C. L. “Brick” Laws, who operated the team for its remaining seasons. In 1946, Laws hired
Charles “Casey” StengelCharles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
, the former manager of the
Brooklyn DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and
Boston BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
of the
National LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
, to manage the Oaks. He responded with second and fourth place finishes, before the club won its most celebrated pennant in 1948. It was in Oakland that Stengel developed his talent for “platooning,” i.e., juggling his lineup to maximize each player’s potential in given situations, that served him so famously as manager of the
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
.
The 1948 Oaks were nicknamed the “Nine Old Men” in that many of the star players were older veterans of the major leagues, including
Ernie LombardiErnesto Natali "Ernie" Lombardi , was a Major League Baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Braves and the New York Giants during a Hall of Fame career that spanned 17 years, from 1931 to 1947. He had several nicknames, including "Schnozz", "Lumbago", "Bocci",...
,
Cookie LavagettoHarry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto was a third baseman, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball. He is most widely known as the pinch hitter whose double ruined Bill Bevens' no-hitter in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series and gave his Brooklyn Dodgers a breathtaking victory over the New...
,
Nick EttenNicholas Raymond Thomas Etten was a first baseman in major league baseball, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics , Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees . Etten batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Spring Grove, Illinois. Etten attended St...
and
Catfish MetkovichGeorge Michael "Catfish" Metkovich was an American outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox , Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox , Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Braves...
. There were younger players on the team as well, including rookie second baseman
Alfred “Billy” MartinAlfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
. Rooming with Martin and playing shortstop was
Artie WilsonArthur Lee Wilson was a shortstop in Major League and Negro league baseball who was an all-star for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro leagues before playing one season in the major leagues for the New York Giants...
, the first black player on the Oaks since Jimmy Claxton was fired. Wilson won the PCL batting title with a .348 average and also led in stolen bases with 47. In 1950, he led the PCL in runs with 168 and hits with 264, helping the Oaks to the 1950 PCL championship. For the Oaks Manager Stengel wore jersey No. 1, while Martin wore No. 7. When Martin came to the Yankees in 1950, No. 7 had been taken by
Mickey MantleMickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
, so Martin asked for and was issued No. 1 – in honor of his mentor, Casey Stengel.
Stengel’s success with the Oaks did not go unnoticed, and he became manager of the Yankees in 1949. Stengel was replaced by
Chuck DressenCharles Walter Dressen , known as both "Chuck" and "Charlie," was an American third baseman, manager and coach in professional baseball during a career that lasted almost fifty years, and was best known as the manager of the powerful Brooklyn Dodgers of 1951–1953...
, who led the Oaks to a second place finish in 1949 and the PCL pennant in 1950. Again, the Oaks’ manager’s success resulted in a promotion to the major leagues, with Dressen hired to manage the Dodgers in 1951. Former
New York GiantThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
star
Mel OttMelvin Thomas Ott , nicknamed "Master Melvin", was a Major League Baseball right fielder. He played his entire career for the New York Giants . Ott was born in Gretna, Louisiana. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
was hired as his replacement.
In 1954, the Acorns finished third, but won the postseason series to capture their last PCL pennant. In spite of this, attendance at the now-dilapidated Oaks Park had dropped dramatically. The Oaks finished seventh in 1955, and their attendance was the worst of the eight-team league. Owner Laws felt he had no other choice but to move the team. When officials of Vancouver, British Columbia made him an offer, Laws moved the Oaks to Vancouver, where they were renamed the
Vancouver MountiesThe Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Mounties played in the Pacific Coast League from 1956 through 1962 as the relocated Oakland Oaks franchise, and from 1965 through 1969 when the Dallas Rangers moved back to Canada.The...
.
Oaks Park was demolished in 1957, replaced by a Pepsi-Cola bottling plant. Presently, the site is the headquarters of
Pixar Animation StudiosPixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
. The only thing left in the area to suggest that baseball was ever played at Park and San Pablo Avenues is a cardroom and restaurant across the street, appropriately named the Oaks Club.
On October 18, 1967, 12 years after the Oaks played their last game in Emeryville, the
American LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
owners gave Kansas City Athletics president
Charles O. FinleyCharles Oscar Finley , nicknamed Charlie O or Charley O, was an American businessman who is best remembered for his tenure as the owner of the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team. Finley purchased the franchise while it was located in Kansas City, moving it to Oakland in 1968...
permission to move the Athletics to Oakland for the 1968 season.
Some Oaks notable members with MLB experience
- Buzz Arlett
Russell Loris Arlett , also known as Buzz Arlett, was an American baseball player of German descent. Sometimes called "the Babe Ruth of the minor leagues." Like Ruth, Arlett was a large man who began his career as a pitcher before becoming his league's dominant home run hitter...
- George Bamberger
George Irvin Bamberger was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the 1951–1952 New York Giants and the 1959 Baltimore Orioles. He later served as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets ....
- Charlie Beamon
Charles Alfonzo Beamon is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles from to...
- Gene Bearden
Henry Eugene "Gene" Bearden was a left-handed knuckleball pitcher in Major League Baseball who completed a remarkable rookie season by closing out the Cleveland Indians' last World Series championship in 1948....
- Roger Bowman
Roger Clinton Bowman was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates.-External links:...
- Ernie Broglio
Ernest Gilbert Broglio is a former right-handed pitcher in American Major League Baseball from 1959-66. Broglio signed with the independent Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League after he attended West Contra Costa Junior College. He was acquired by the New York Giants in 1956...
- Sam Chapman
Samuel Blake Chapman was an American two-sport athletic star who played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball, spending nearly his entire career with the Philadelphia Athletics . He batted and threw right-handed, leading the American League in putouts four times...
- Vince DiMaggio
Vincent Paul "Vince" DiMaggio was a Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 10-year baseball career, he played for the Boston Bees , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies , and New York Giants...
- Chuck Dressen
Charles Walter Dressen , known as both "Chuck" and "Charlie," was an American third baseman, manager and coach in professional baseball during a career that lasted almost fifty years, and was best known as the manager of the powerful Brooklyn Dodgers of 1951–1953...
- Augie Galan
August John Galan was a left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1934 through 1949, he played for the Chicago Cubs , Brooklyn Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds , New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics . Galan threw right-handed and began his career as a switch hitter...
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Billy Herman William Jennings Bryan "Billy" Herman was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball during the 1930s and 1940s. He was known for his stellar defense and consistent batting...
Jackie JensenJack Eugene Jensen was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three American League teams from 1950 to 1961, most notably the Boston Red Sox...
Spider Jorgensen
Harry KrauseHarry William "Hal" Krause was a Major League Baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of five seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Naps. He led the American League in earned run average in 1909 while playing for Philadelphia...
Cookie LavagettoHarry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto was a third baseman, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball. He is most widely known as the pinch hitter whose double ruined Bill Bevens' no-hitter in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series and gave his Brooklyn Dodgers a breathtaking victory over the New...
Thornton LeeThornton Starr Lee , also nicknamed "Lefty", was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox and New York Giants . Lee batted and threw left-handed. He is the father of pitcher Don Lee, a former big leaguer.-Career:Lee was born in Sonoma,...
Ernie LombardiErnesto Natali "Ernie" Lombardi , was a Major League Baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Braves and the New York Giants during a Hall of Fame career that spanned 17 years, from 1931 to 1947. He had several nicknames, including "Schnozz", "Lumbago", "Bocci",...
Billy MartinAlfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
Hershel Ray Martin
Catfish MetkovichGeorge Michael "Catfish" Metkovich was an American outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox , Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox , Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Braves...
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Johnny Ostrowski John Thaddeus "Johnny" Ostrowski was a backup left fielder/third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox , Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators . Listed at 5' 10.5", 170 lb. Ostrowski batted and threw right-handed...
Mel OttMelvin Thomas Ott , nicknamed "Master Melvin", was a Major League Baseball right fielder. He played his entire career for the New York Giants . Ott was born in Gretna, Louisiana. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
Johnny Price
Earl RappEarl Wellington "Rappy" Rapp was a 6'2", 185 pound Major League Baseball outfielder who played in 1949 and from 1951 to 1952 for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, New York Giants, St...
Jimmie ReeseJimmie Reese was a Major League Baseball second baseman, third baseman, and coach.In order to avoid the brunt of prejudice against Jewish...
Floyd SpeerFloyd Vernie Speer was an American professional baseball pitcher. He was born on January 27, 1913, in Booneville, Arkansas. He attended Booneville High School, where he starred in baseball. His twin brother, Bernie Loyd Speer, was often his catcher....
Casey StengelCharles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
Jim TobinJames Anthony Tobin, known as Abba Dabba, was a right-handed major league baseball pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Bees/Braves and Detroit Tigers from 1937 to 1945...
Artie WilsonArthur Lee Wilson was a shortstop in Major League and Negro league baseball who was an all-star for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro leagues before playing one season in the major leagues for the New York Giants...
Charlie Workman
Roy Zimmerman |
Affiliations
The Oaks were independent of farm systems for most of their existence; they were affiliated with the following
major leagueMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams:
| Year |
Affiliation(s) |
| 1935-37 |
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
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