Oakland Oaks (PCL)
Encyclopedia
The Oakland Oaks were a minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor 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, California
Oakland, California
Oakland 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 League
Pacific Coast League
The 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 oak
Oak
An 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 acorn
Acorn
The 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 Angels
Los Angeles Angels (PCL)
The 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 Beavers
Portland Beavers
The 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 Solons
Sacramento Solons
The 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 Indians
Seattle Rainiers
The 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 Park
Recreation Park (San Francisco)
Recreation 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 Park
Oaks Park (stadium)
Oaks 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 Emeryville
Emeryville, California
Emeryville 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 line
Baseball color line
The 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 Claxton
Jimmy Claxton
Jimmy 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” Stengel
Casey Stengel
Charles 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 Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The 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 Braves
Atlanta Braves
The 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 League
National League
The 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 Yankees
New York Yankees
The 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 Lombardi
Ernie Lombardi
Ernesto 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 Lavagetto
Cookie Lavagetto
Harry 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 Etten
Nick Etten
Nicholas 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 Metkovich
Catfish Metkovich
George 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” Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred 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 Wilson
Artie Wilson
Arthur 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 Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey 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 Dressen
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...

, 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 Giant
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

 star Mel Ott
Mel Ott
Melvin 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 Mounties
Vancouver Mounties
The 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 Studios
Pixar
Pixar 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 League
American League
The 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. Finley
Charles O. Finley
Charles 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
    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 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
    Charlie Beamon
    Charles Alfonzo Beamon is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles from to...

  • Gene Bearden
    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 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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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...

 
  • Billy Herman
    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 Jensen
    Jackie Jensen
    Jack 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 Krause
    Harry Krause
    Harry 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 Lavagetto
    Cookie Lavagetto
    Harry 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 Lee
    Thornton Lee
    Thornton 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 Lombardi
    Ernie Lombardi
    Ernesto 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 Martin
    Billy Martin
    Alfred 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 Metkovich
    Catfish Metkovich
    George 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...

  •  
  • Johnny Ostrowski
    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 Ott
    Mel Ott
    Melvin 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 Rapp
    Earl Rapp
    Earl 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 Reese
    Jimmie Reese
    Jimmie Reese was a Major League Baseball second baseman, third baseman, and coach.In order to avoid the brunt of prejudice against Jewish...

  • Floyd Speer
    Floyd Speer
    Floyd 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 Stengel
    Casey Stengel
    Charles 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 Tobin
    Jim Tobin
    James 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 Wilson
    Artie Wilson
    Arthur 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 league
    Major League Baseball
    Major 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 Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The 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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