All files and information kindly updated and provided by Stephen Davis himself.

All the seasons listed are Version 9 and are updated to include UIDs for every player, team, park, and league.  Each season has an extended “Notes” section that includes a brief rundown of the season and some daily highlights (please read them).

There are additional items available such as photos, logos, and parks you may want to use for each season.  The PCL parks created by Tom Milne can be found on the internet or you may email me and I will be happy to send any or all of the zip files.

The 1946 through 1953 seasons and the 1956 season include an Excel spreadsheet with the starting pitchers listed for each game. 

The 1953, 1954, 1955, and 1957 seasons include an Excel spreadsheet with the breakdowns of players traded during the season.  For replay purposes, traded players are listed (with their combined season record) with the teams they finished the season with.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1946 SEASON (1,2,3,4,5)

World War II ended and the players returned to their sport after four long years of combat.  The PCL set an attendance record led by the San Francisco Seals (over 600,000 fans).  The Seals also managed to win their first pennant since Joe DiMaggio led them to the 1935 pennant.  The Seals were paced by Larry Jansen’s (30-6, 1.57) strong pitching.  The pennant race was a two-team race between San Francisco and Casey Stengel’s Oakland Oaks.  The third place team, Hollywood Stars, finished 16 games behind the Oakland Oaks.  The Seals biggest problem during the season was their vulnerability to left-handed pitching.  The late season acquisition of Vince DiMaggio solved that problem.  Their sturdy defense and strong pitching was more than a match for Stengel’s Oaks.  The Oaks led for eight straight weeks during the season but the loss of first baseman Les Scarsella late in the season put a crimp in their pennant plans.  Oakland also sported a tough pitching staff equal to San Francisco’s but in the end the Seals prevailed.  Harvey Storey, LA and Seattle, led the PCL with a .326 average and Loyd Christopher, LA, led the PCL with 26 homers and Seals first sacker Ferris Fain led with 109 RBI.  San Francisco won the Governors Cup defeating Oakland 4 games to 2.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1947 SEASON (1,2,3,4,5)

San Francisco and the Los Angeles Angels finished the season in a dead heat.  The two teams met in a playoff game at Wrigley Field in LA with the Angels shutting out the Seals 5-0.  Los Angeles won the pennant with the legendary combination of power and relief pitching.  John Ostrowski, Cecil Garriott, Larry Barton, and Eddie Sauer provided the power while Andy Dobernic logged 13 saves and eight wins in 55 appearances.  Angels manager Bill Kelly made liberal use of his bullpen to good effect.  The Seals problems were not so much the injuries as the fact that the team was not deep in reserves.  The Seals pitching was a strong point as well as their middle infield defense of Hugh Luby, 2B, and Roy Nicely, shortstop.  Hilly Layne, Seattle led the PCL with a .368 average while Max West, San Diego, led the league in homeruns (40) and RBI (123).  Cliff Chambers won 24 games for LA and Bob Chesnes won 20 for the Seals.  Los Angeles won the Governors Cup defeating Oakland 4 games to 1. 

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1948 SEASON (1,2,3,4,5)

The Oakland Oaks led by Casey Stengel won their first pennant in 21 years on the last day of season besting the San Francisco Seals by two games.  Oakland needed to win 29 of their last 38 games to secure the gonfalon.  The Oaks were led by their “Nine Old Men” and a brash rookie fresh out of Berkeley High School, Billy Martin.  Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi provided key pinch hits and helped relieve behind the plate.  George Metkovich led the team with a .336 average and former major league vet Nick Etten led the club with 43 homers and 155 RBI.  Other contributors were Cookie Lavagetto and Dario Lodigiani anchoring third base.  Brooks Holder, Loyd Christopher, Les Scarsella, and Mel Duzebou were the premier fly hawks for Oakland.  Casey did such a good job with Oakland that the Yankees hired him after the season to be their manager.  The Oaks pitching was mediocre and Stengel used a quick hook and benefited from some clutch relief performances and some clutch late inning heroics.  Oakland won the Governors Cup defeating Seattle 4 games to 1.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1949 SEASON (1,2,3,4,5)

Hollywood signed a working agreement with the Brooklyn Dodgers and entered the season with a remade team that won the pennant by five games over Charlie Dressen’s Oakland Oaks.  The Stars were led by the PCL MVP Irv Noren (.331,29,128) and featured a strong defense and steady pitching.  Twinks fly hawk Frank Kelleher belted 28 homers and third sacker Mike Baxes belted 25 homers and drove in 106 RBI.  The Stars won the Governors Cup defeating San Diego 4 games to 2.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1950 SEASON (1,2,3,4,5)

The PCL concerned about declining attendance played a 200 game schedule.  Attendance went down.  The Oakland Oaks returned to the top of the heap winning the pennant by four games over the San Diego Padres.  Their table setting shortstop, Artie Wilson, along with slugging catcher Ray Noble, and a hard-hitting outfield of George Metkovich, Earl Rapp, and Loyd Christopher and Dick Wakefield sharing left field, led the Oaks.  Roy Zimmerman anchored first base, Bobby Hofman replaced the popular Billy Martin at second, and Cookie Lavagetto held forth at third base.  Augie Galan and Babe Herman were the utility players who helped in the outfield, first, and third.  George Bamberger won 17 games and Allen “Two Gun” Gettel won 23 and lost 7.  Nine of Gettel’s wins were in relief.  Earl Harrist won 18 and Clyde Shoun won 16 for the Oaks.  The Padres also fielded a strong team with Minnie Minoso, Harry “Suitcase” Simpson, Jack Graham, Al Smith, and perennial PCL vet Max West.  Unfortunately, their pitching staff wasn’t up to the task. 

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1951 SEASON (1,2,4,5)

Seattle became the first team since 1944 to win the pennant with less than 100 wins.  Led by manager Rogers Hornsby and a steady pitching staff, Seattle won by six games over the Hollywood Stars.  Jim Rivera  (.348, 30, 120, and 19 stolen bases) the Rainiers premier center fielder was the PCL MVP.  Marv Grissom won 20 games for Seattle and tied with Bill Ayers of Oakland for most wins.  Grissom, Hal Brown, and Jim Davis were the anchors of the pitching staff and Walt Judnich and Al Lyons patrolled left and right field giving Seattle a formidable lineup.  Seattle won the Governors Cup over Hollywood 3 games to 2.  Prior to the season opener Lefty O’Doul, the San Francisco Seals manager said this was his worst team.  He was right and the Seals finished in the cellar.  After 18 years as their manager, he was fired and replaced by Tommy Heath who had managed Minneapolis in the American Association.  Seattle won the Governors Cup defeating Hollywood 3 games to 2.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1952 SEASON (1,2,4,5)

Fred Haney’s Hollywood Stars returned to the top of the PCL standings by five games over Mel Ott’s Oakland Oaks.  Fred was rewarded after the season by being named as the Pittsburgh Pirates to be their manager.  The 1952 Stars are considered one of the best PCL teams of all-time.  They won using speed, defense, and a strong pitching staff.  Lefty O’Doul was hired as the San Diego Padres manager and he brought them home in 5^th place.  The Stars featured a strong infield with Chuck Stevens at first, Monty Basgall at second, Dick Cole at short, Mike Sandlock behind the plate, and Gene Handley and Jack Phillips at third.   The outfield consisted of rookie Carlos Bernier (mostly in left), Tom Saffell, and Ted Beard.  Haney used the sacrifice frequently and Bernier, Beard, and Saffell stole 58, 23, and 18 bases respectively.  The pitching rotation of Lindell, Queen, Pettit, and Woods won 64 games and were ably relieved by Jim Walsh and Larry Shepard.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1953 SEASON (1,2,4,5)

The Hollywood Stars repeated as the PCL top team finishing eight games in front of the Seattle Rainiers.  First baseman Dale Long was the power hitter blasting 35 homers and driving in 116 runs to go with his .272 average.  Again, the Stars relied on their speed and defense and a strong pitching staff led by 20 game winner George O’Donnell.  Some experts consider this team as a better club than the 1952 team.  Long led the league in homers and RBI.  Last place Sacramento’s Bob Dillinger led the PCL with a .366 average.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1954 SEASON (6)

The San Diego Padres and Hollywood Stars played the entire 168 game schedule and ended tied for first.  A one game playoff was held at Lane Field, San Diego, and Joe Kerrigan pitched the Padres to a 7-2 win and the title foiling the Stars bid for a third straight pennant.  San Diego outfielder Harry Elliott led the PCL with a .350 average and topped the PCL with 224 hits.  Oaks first baseman Jim Marshall led the league with 31 homers and 123 RBI.  Lefty O’Doul’s Padres boasted a balanced offense and a decent pitching staff led by Bill Wight who fashioned a 1.93 ERA.  Oakland won the Governor’s Cup over the San Francisco Seals 3 games to 0.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1955 SEASON (6)

Change was coming to the PCL after the season ended.  Fred Hutchinson’s Seattle Rainiers finished in first place by 3 games over the San Diego Padres and 4 games ahead of Hollywood and Los Angeles.  Oakland fly hawk George Metkovich led the PCL with a .335 average.  The PCL MVP was Steve Bilko (.328,37,124).  At the conclusion of the season, the Oakland Oaks packed their bags and moved to Vancouver for the 1956 season.  One of the original PCL teams, the Oaks ended their 52 years of baseball in the Bay Area. 

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1956 SEASON (1,2,3,4,5)

The Los Angeles Angels ended an eight-year streak of mediocrity and won the pennant by 16 games over second place Seattle.  Angel first sacker Steve Bilko won his second PCL MVP title with a triple crown winning 360, 55, 164 season.  Los Angeles was a young club and considered another of the all-time great PCL clubs.  The strong lineup of Casey Wise at short, Gene Mauch at second, George Freese at third, and Bilko at first plus an outfield trio of Jim Bolger, Bob Speake, and Gale Wade was formidable.  The pitching staff of Dick Drott, Bob Anderson, Gene Fodge, Ray Bauer, Marino Pieretti, Dave Hillman, and George Perkowski were steady most of the season.  Piper Davis proved a valuable addition to the Angels as did Billy Raimondi.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE – 1957 SEASON (6)

The San Francisco Seals won the pennant finishing 3½  games in front of the Vancouver Mounties.  Seals manager Joe Gordon did a superb job of managing and keeping his ball club focused on the prize.  Ken Aspromonte, Seals second baseman, led the league with a .334 average.  It was the balanced pitching staff led by Leo Kiely who finished with a 21-6 record and a 2.22 ERA.  All of Kiely’s wins were in relief!  The offense was powered by the big bats of 1B Frank Kellert and OF Bill Renna who combined for 51 homers and 212 RBI.  Steve Bilko won his third and final PCL MVP award (.300,56,140).  After the season, the rumors proved to be true as the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers moved to San Francisco and Los Angeles thus ending the original PCL, which was created in 1903. 

Legend

1.             As-played schedule                            4.             Every player who appeared in a game

2.             Transactions                                       5.             Spreadsheet with list of starting pitchers for each game

3.             Actual starting lineups                      6.             Original PCL schedule