The Tri-City Atoms were a minor league baseball team located in Kennewick, Washington . The Tri-Cities in southeastern Washington , which include Kennewick , Richland , and Pasco , fielded a number of minor league teams in the Northwest League and its predecessor, the Western International League , from 1955 to 1974.
20-702: The Tri-City Braves were a member of the WIL from 1950 through 1954. In 1955 Tri-City joined the Northwest League as a charted member. The Tri-City Braves, while serving as an affiliate of various major league clubs retained the Braves name through 1960. Upon signing on with the Baltimore Orioles in 1961, the club adopted a unique name, the Atoms. The club reverted to Braves for 1962 season, which proved to be
40-543: A Connell farmer. It was later named Sanders-Jacobs Field to honor Tom Jacobs, a former manager and the general manager of the Atoms. The stadium was demolished in 1975. Notable players with the Atoms included Doyle Alexander , Ron Cey , Joe Ferguson , and Ted Sizemore , the National League 's Rookie of the Year in 1969 . Wenatchee Chiefs The Wenatchee Chiefs were a minor league baseball team in
60-595: A World Series game in 1947 , known as The Cookie Game , in which Bevens and the New York Yankees lost by a score of 3–2 on a ninth inning, game-winning hit by Cookie Lavagetto . Frank Dasso was a one-time major league pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds who finished his lengthy minor league career in Wenatchee, and took on a management role after retiring from on-field play. As general manager of
80-618: A player development contract with the San Diego Padres following their inaugural season as an expansion member of the National League . In 1974, the Ports were an independent team and went 27–57 in front of 21,611 fans. The team was managed by owner Carl W. Thompson, Sr. before folding. The Tri-Cities were without baseball until 1983, when the Tri-Cities Triplets relocated from Walla Walla , and were affiliated with
100-557: A successful year as team finished the regular season in first place. The Braves faced the Wenatchee Chiefs in the league championship, but lost the 2–4. The team changed its name to Angels for 1963, representative of its parent club. The franchise again changed affiliates, signing on with the Baltimore Orioles resulting in a name change to Atoms. Led by manager Cal Ripken Sr. , the Atoms posted an 81–58 record in
120-595: The New York Yankees , and the team won its first league pennant in 1939. Future major league pitcher Bill Bevens threw an 8-0 no-hitter in 1939 against the Tacoma Tigers , with the only opponent reaching base on an error. The win on September 21 gave the Chiefs its first playoff win in a series in which it had lost the first three games to Tacoma. Bevens would later throw 8⅔ innings of no-hit ball in
140-723: The Texas Rangers for two seasons. When that relationship ended, the Triplets spent two seasons as an independent (1985, 1986), then relocated to southwestern Idaho and became the Boise ;Hawks . Professional baseball returned to the Tri-Cities in 2001 with relocation of the Portland Rockies , who were forced to move as the territory was awarded to a AAA level franchise. Originally the team planned to keep
160-586: The northwest United States, based in Wenatchee, Washington . Founded in 1937, the team was a part of the Class B Western International League through 1954, although the team did not operate after 1941 and the entire league was suspended during World War II, for the seasons from 1943 to 1945. The Chiefs were one of the seven founding members of the Northwest League in 1955, where they remained until
180-485: The 1965 season, the Northwest League lost two teams, Salem and Wenatchee, and changed to a short season format in 1966 with just four teams ( Eugene Emeralds , Yakima Braves , Tri-City Atoms , and Lewiston Broncs ). Wenatchee won the WIL titles in 1939 and 1946, then took its first NWL title in 1957, besting the Eugene Emeralds in seven games. The Chiefs' second and final Northwest League championship
200-624: The Chiefs, Dasso organized a promotion in July 1953 called "Bust Down the Fences Night" in a game against the Tri-City Braves , in which attendees at the game were told that you could "pay what you like; no regular admission." Gate receipts from the 3,200 in attendance at the game was $ 1,251, an average of 40 cents per fan, earning the team more in profit from that one game than any three games they had played in that season to-date. After
220-606: The Rockies name. Ultimately the club selected a unique moniker, the Dust Devils . Tri-City teams played home games at Sanders-Jacobs Field in Kennewick, The ballpark was opened in 1950 with a seating capacity of 5,000 and a northeast alignment. The field dimensions were 340 feet from home plate down both the right and left field lines and 400 feet to dead center. Originally the stadium was named Sanders Field for Harry Sanders,
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#1732801910534240-563: The club's final season of full season baseball. The Atoms swept the Lewiston Broncs in the championship series 3–0 to claim their first Northwest League crown. In 1966, the Northwest League shifted to a short-season format. Tri-City switched parent clubs and signed a player development contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers . The Atoms had an explosive season and finished the regular season at 57–27. The Atoms finished at
260-567: The league changed its name to become the Northwest League , and operated through 2019 as a Class A-Short Season loop under that name. In the minor league reorganization of 2021, most Northwest League teams became members of the High-A West circuit, before resuming the former name in 2022 The WIL consisted of teams in the U.S. states of Oregon , Washington , and Idaho , and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta . It
280-421: The team drew as many as 3,000 per game, with ticket prices of 5 cents for the bleachers and 40 cents for grandstand seating for adults. With baseballs costing as much as $ 1.50 each, the team paid children 50 cents per game to retrieve balls that went into the stands as foul balls or home runs so that they could be reused. The team was taken over by Charles C. Garland in 1938, who began an affiliation agreement with
300-570: The team suspended operations after the 1965 season, the last before the NWL went to the short-season format. The Chiefs were founded in 1937 by Canadians Gerald McClay and Art Nevison, and played in the Class B Western International League (WIL). The team played a 144-game season, with its home field at Wenatchee's Recreation Park ( 47°24′50″N 120°19′16″W / 47.414°N 120.321°W / 47.414; -120.321 ). In its early years,
320-660: The top of the league standings to be named league champion. Two seasons later, the Atoms compiled a league best record en route to a third Northwest League title. The Dodgers ended their relationship with Tri-City following the 1968 season and moved their farm system to Medford, Oregon with the Rouge Valley club. In 1969, Tri-City partnered with the Oakland Athletics , but the affiliation ended after only one season, as Oakland shifted its NWL affiliation to southwest Oregon at Coos Bay-North Bend . Tri-City then inked
340-454: Was a Class B league through 1951 and was upgraded to Class A in 1952 . In its final season in 1954, it started with ten teams in Calgary , Edmonton , Lewiston , Salem , Spokane , Kennewick – Richland – Pasco (playing as " Tri-City "), Vancouver , Victoria , Wenatchee , and Yakima . Three teams did not finish the season (Spokane, Victoria, Calgary). The final champion
360-604: Was a mid- to higher-level minor league baseball circuit in the Pacific Northwest United States and western Canada that operated in 1922, 1937 to 1942, and 1946 to 1954. In 1955 , the Western International League evolved to become the Northwest League , which is still playing today. Informally known as the "Willy" loop, The Western International League operated in 1922, 1937 to 1942, and 1946 to 1954. In 1955 ,
380-577: Was called up to the Chicago Cubs in September; he became a starter for the big club in 1966 . Holtzman was a starter with the Oakland A's during their three consecutive World Series titles ( 1972 , 1973 , 1974 ). 47°24′50″N 120°19′16″W / 47.414°N 120.321°W / 47.414; -120.321 Western International League The Western International League
400-841: Was in 1962, over Tri-City . The team was a minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees from 1938 to 1940, the Cincinnati Redlegs during the 1957 and 1958 seasons, and the Chicago Cubs from 1961 until 1965. The team was affiliated with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League in 1954 and the Seattle Rainiers in 1955 and 1956. The Chiefs most notable players were starting pitchers Claude Osteen (1958) and Ken Holtzman (1965). Holtzman started only eight games for Wenatchee and
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