Sacramento River Cats
Encyclopedia
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 based in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The team plays 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...
(PCL) and is the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's
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...
Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
.
The River Cats play at Raley Field
Raley Field
Raley Field is the home of the Sacramento River Cats minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League. Raley Field was built on the site of old warehouses and railyards, in West Sacramento, California, USA across the Sacramento River from the California State Capitol.The privately financed...
, located in West Sacramento
West Sacramento, California
West Sacramento is a city in Yolo County, California. It is contiguous with Sacramento, but is separated by the Sacramento River which is also the county line, so West Sacramento is in a different county than Sacramento...
. The team began play in 1978 as the Vancouver Canadians
Vancouver Canadians
The Vancouver Canadians are a minor league baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadians are the Northwest League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The C's have previously affiliated with the Oakland Athletics between 2000-2010. They are the only Canadian team in the...
, and played their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium
Nat Bailey Stadium
Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium is home to the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League and also plays host to the University of British Columbia baseball team.-Stadium history:...
until the 1999 season. Following that season, in which they won the Triple-A World Series
Triple-A World Series
The Triple-A World Series is an infrequently held contest featuring the champions of each Triple-A level minor league of Major League Baseball, with the intent of crowning an overall champion of Triple-A Baseball....
, the team was purchased by a group led by Art Savage and moved to Sacramento for the 2000 season. Savage was the majority owner of the team until his death on November 21, 2009 at age 58. His widow, Susan Savage, became majority owner upon her husband's death.
Sacramento has led all of minor league baseball in attendance during each of its first eight seasons at Raley Field. The team averaged approximately 10,000 fans per game during the 2007 regular season, for a total attendance figure of 710,235.
The PCL franchise in Sacramento for many years was the 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...
, a charter member of the PCL which was founded in 1903. Three different versions of the Solons represented California's capital city in 1903, 1905, from 1909 through 1914, from 1918 through 1960, and from 1974 through 1976. Sacramento is the only charter city that still hosts a PCL team.
Attendance
Since the arrival of the River Cats at Raley Field, they have led all of Minor League Baseball in attendance during each of its first eight seasons. In 2007, the team drew 710,235 fans in 71 home games.| Year | Total Attendance | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 861,808 | 11,969 |
| 2001 | 901,214 | 12,516 |
| 2002 | 817,317 | 11,351 |
| 2003 | 766,326 | 10,643 |
| 2004 | 751,156 | 10,432 |
| 2005 | 755,750 | 10,496 |
| 2006 | 728,227 | 10,256 |
| 2007 | 710,235 | 10,003 |
| 2008 | 700,168 | 9,724 |
| 2009 | 657,095 | 9,126 |
| 2010 | 657,910 | 9,138 |
Playoff history
The River Cats won four consecutive Pacific Coast League Pacific South Division titles from 2000 through 2004, and back-to-back league championships in 2003 and 2004.In 2007 they won the Pacific South Division and league championships again, and defeated the Richmond Braves
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
in that year's Bricktown Showdown
Bricktown Showdown
The Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game, previously known as the Bricktown Showdown, is a single championship game held annually between the league champions of the International League and Pacific Coast League Triple-A leagues of minor league baseball to determine an overall champion of...
on September 18 by a score of 7–1. The River Cats repeated as division, league, and class champions in 2008.
Notable former River Cats currently in the major leagues
This list does not include MLB players who were in Sacramento on a rehabilitation assignment while on the disabled listDisabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
.
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