The Pacific Coast League, or PCL, is currently a minor-league baseball Triple-A league. Triple-A is the highest level of minor-league baseball and the highest professional league outside of the major-leagues. The PCL has been in existence for over 100 years and for much of that time it was the premiere league, and highest level of baseball on the West Coast.
Founding
According to the Pacific Coast League website, the PCL was founded in 1903 with teams in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Portland and Seattle. The league was an expansion of the California League which consisted of the four California based teams of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento. The addition of teams in Portland and Seattle allowed the PCL to become the premiere league in the western United States, since no major-league teams would move west until the 1950s.
Changes to the 50's
The PCL had many constants from 1903 to the mid 1950s as teams in Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento and Seattle were constant according to BaseballReference.com. A second Los Angeles team, the Hollywood Stars, were added in 1926, and from 1926 to 1935 two teams played in San Francisco as well. There was a franchise in Salt Lake City from 1915 to 1925, and a team played in Vernon in from 1918 to 1925 before becoming the Hollywood Stars. San Diego was added in 1936, Vancouver in 1956 and all franchises remained until the major leagues came west in 1958.
Major League Baseball
The Pacific Coast League grew into a competitive league that was considered to be just a step below the major-leagues, but the move of two franchises to California threw the league out of the largest state markets. According to "US News and World Report," the Dodgers convinced the Giants to move with them to California from New York before the 1958 season. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles while the Giants moved to San Francisco, and the Pacific Coast League was pushed out of the two largest California cities for the Major League's National League teams. In the late 1960s, major-league teams would also move to San Diego and Seattle, further uprooting the old PCL.
Modern Day
Today, the Pacific Coast League and the International League serve as the two Triple-A leagues, which are the highest levels of minor-league baseball. According to the PCL website, today the league features 16 teams across the western portion of the United States. These teams range as far east as Nashville, Tennessee and only three franchises are actually on the Pacific Coast. Franchises still remain in Sacramento, Portland, and Salt Lake City.
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