The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major L ...

and the Single-A affiliate of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at

LoanMart Field LoanMart Field (previously known as the City of Rancho Cucamonga Epicenter Entertainment & Sports Complex, or The Rancho Cucamonga Epicenter for short) is a stadium in Rancho Cucamonga, California. It is primarily used for baseball and is the ho ...

. The franchise was founded in Lodi, California, in 1966 as members of the California League, with its home ballpark as

Tony Zupo Field Tony Zupo Field, originally known as Lawrence Park, is a stadium in Lodi, California. It was primarily used for baseball and was the home of various versions of the Lodi Crushers, first in the California League from 1966 to 1969 and again in 198 ...

. The team then went through several new names and ownership changes before arriving in Rancho Cucamonga in 1993. In the 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the California League disbanded and was replaced by the Low-A-West, but this was renamed the California League in 2022. The Quakes have three California League championships (1994, 2015, and 2018).

History

Early years

The Quakes franchise began in 1966 in Lodi, California as the Lodi Crushers after a team of investors from the city pooled together $2,500 a few years earlier. Until 1984, the team played at Lawrence Park (now

) for home games. Several times in its early history, the team was sold from one group of collaborating town residents to another. Since 1966, the franchise has been affiliated with several major league teams, notably the

in the late 1970s and the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

in the early 1980s. While in Lodi, the team won several California League Championships, including 1973, 1977 and 1981. After 1984, the Chicago Cubs pulled out of Lodi, and the franchise's owner Michelle Sprague was unable to find a major league affiliate. She deactivated the team for a year, selling the team to a group including former L.A. Dodger Ken McMullen. After spending time in Ventura, under new ownership (a group of investors including Roy Englebrecht, actor

Mark Harmon Thomas Mark Harmon (born September 2, 1951) is an American actor. He is most famous for playing the lead role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in '' NCIS''. He also appeared in a wide variety of roles since the early 1970s. After spending the majority of ...

, and former Quakes' majority owner Hank Stickney), the team moved to San Bernardino in 1987 and became the San Bernardino Spirit.

Ken Griffey Jr. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle M ...

was among the players that came through

Fiscalini Field Fiscalini Field is a stadium in San Bernardino, California, USA. Over the years, the stadium was the spring training homes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles) and was the home field for the San Bernardin ...

on their way to the big leagues.

Move to Rancho Cucamonga

In the early 1990s, Stickney was informed by the city of

Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Bernardino County, California, given in 1839 to the dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The grant formed parts of p ...

that they would be breaking ground on a new stadium. Selling the rights to the name "The San Bernardino Spirit" to a different franchise, the main staff of Stickney's team moved outside the construction zone where the ballpark would be built. Construction started on November 14, 1991. Named "The Quake" after a vote, the stadium was nicknamed the "Epicenter". The team moved into the stadium on April 1, 1993. The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes played their first game at the stadium on April 8 against the

High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight d ...

, winning 7–3. The Quakes won their first California League championship in 1994, defeating the Modesto A's in four games. The Quakes continue to play their home games at the stadium, now renamed

. The stadium held up to 7000 fans in its first few years of existence, but renovations in 2014 and 2015 reduced its capacity to just over 4900 total fans. During the late 1990s and 2000s, the Quakes broke several league attendance records. After being an affiliate of the San Diego Padres for the first eight years in Rancho Cucamonga, the team swapped affiliations with the Lake Elsinore Storm, beginning the 2001 season. For the next ten seasons, the Quakes were affiliated with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

. In 2010, its final year of affiliation with the Angels, the team advanced to the California League championship round, losing in extra innings in the fifth and deciding game to the San Jose Giants. After the season, the Quakes once again changed affiliations, joining the Dodgers' system. Television actor

(''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' was an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels ...

'', '' NCIS'') was one of the team's owners until he sold his interest in the team to local businessman Scott Ostlund. Since 2009, the team has been owned and operated by Brett Sports and Entertainment, headed by former Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer

George Brett George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player who played all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are second- ...

and his brother Bobby Brett. In conjunction with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Quakes were organized into the Low-A West. In 2022, the Low-A West became known as the California League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit.

Branding, media

The

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as ...

of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes is Tremor, the "Rallysaurus". Joe Castellano was the team's first

play-by-play In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...

announcer; he later moved on to the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in downt ...

, and now works for

XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM, Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable televisi ...

on the MLB Home Plate channel. The Quakes are currently in their second year with their current broadcast partner, IE NewsTalk 1290 with Mike Lindskog calling the play-by-play. NewsTalk 1290 is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.. It airs a talk radio format for the Inland Empire region of Southern California including Riverside and San Bernardino..

Past team names

*San Bernardino Spirit (1987–1992) * Ventura County Gulls (1986) * Lodi Dodgers (1976–1983) * Lodi Orioles (1974–1975) * Lodi Lions (1973) * Lodi Orions (1972) * Lodi Padres (1970–1971) * Lodi Crushers (1966–1969, 1984)

Past major league affiliations

* Los Angeles Angels (2001–2010) * San Diego Padres (1993–2000) *

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...

(1988–1992) *

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

(1986) *

(1976–1983, 1995) *

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

(1972–1975) * San Diego Padres (1970–1971) *

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

(1969) *

(1966–1968, 1984)

Notable Quakes alumni

Erick Aybar Erick Johan Aybar (born January 14, 1984) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres. ...

* Cody Bellinger *

Peter Bourjos Peter Christopher Bourjos (born March 31, 1987) is an American former professional baseball center fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phi ...

* Walker Buehler *

Jeter Downs Jeter Deion Downs (born July 27, 1998) is a Colombian professional baseball shortstop for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at and , he bats and throws right-handed. Ear ...

Tony Gonsolin Anthony D. Gonsolin (born May 14, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Saint Mary's Gaels. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the ninth rou ...

* Bobby Jenks *

Howie Kendrick Howard Joseph Kendrick III (born July 12, 1983) is an American former professional baseball infielder and current special assistant to the General Manager for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected Kendrick in th ...

Dean Kremer Dean Junior Kremer ( he, דין קרמר; born January 7, 1996) is an Israeli–American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). In 2015 he became the first Israeli drafted by an MLB team. He made ...

* Derrek Lee *

Gavin Lux Gavin Thomas Lux (born November 23, 1997) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played baseball for Indian Trail High School and Academy in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and wa ...

Dustin May Dustin Jake May (born September 6, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, and made h ...

Kendrys Morales Kendrys Morales Rodríguez (born June 20, 1983) is a Cuban-Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, Minn ...

* Mike Napoli *

Wil Nieves Wilbert "Wil" Nieves (born September 25, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher and current minor league coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Washington National ...

* Joc Pederson * Yasiel Puig * Francisco Rodríguez * Bubby Rossman * Ervin Santana * Joe Saunders * Corey Seager *

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

* Mike Trout *

Mark Trumbo Mark Trumbo (born January 16, 1986) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2010 through 2013, for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2 ...

Julio Urias Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: *Julio (given name) *Julio (surname) *Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation albu ...

* Jordan Walden *

Jered Weaver Jered David Weaver (born October 4, 1982) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres. Weaver was drafted in the first round (12th ove ...

Roster

Player gallery

File:Julio Urias.jpg, Julio Urías joined the team in 2014 File:Seager.jpg, Corey Seager File:Aaron Miller.jpg, Aaron Miller File:Matt herges Cleveland01.JPG, Matt Herges the pitching coach

References

External links