The Fresno Raisin Eaters were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team which played in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

in 1906. The

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 (1903, 1905, 1909–1914, 1918–1960, 1974–1976). The current Sacramento River Cats began ...

, a charter member of the PCL which began play in 1903, moved to

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

in 1904, where the team won the PCL pennant playing as the

Tacoma Tigers Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mou ...

. The team returned to

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

during the 1905 season, then moved to

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

for the 1906 season. A crowd of 2,500 (considered large by the standards of the day) greeted the Raisin Eaters for their home opener against the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams h ...

, which

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

won, 1-0. That was the high-water mark of the season, as fan support eroded as a result of the team's poor play. The Raisin Eaters finished dead last in the six-team league, with a record of 64-117 (.353). The one-year wonders dropped out of the PCL after that year, returned to Sacramento, and re-entered the League in 1909 as the Sacramento Solons once more. Although Fresno would field teams in the California State League and 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 Leagu ...

in subsequent years (most notably the Fresno Cardinals) and the Fresno Giants, the Pacific Coast League would not return to Fresno for another 92 years, when the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

were admitted to the league in 1998. During the 2006 season, the Grizzlies honored the 100th anniversary of their short-lived PCL predecessors in Fresno by wearing Raisin Eaters jerseys on the field during each Wednesday home game.

References

*O'Neal, Bill. ''The Pacific Coast League 1903-1988.'' Eakin Press, Austin TX, 1990. . *Snelling, Dennis. ''The Pacific Coast League: A Statistical History, 1903-1957'' McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 1995. . {{refend Baseball teams established in 1906 Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1906 Defunct Pacific Coast League teams Sports clubs and teams in Fresno, California Professional baseball teams in California Defunct baseball teams in California Baseball in Fresno, California 1906 establishments in California 1906 disestablishments in California Baseball teams disestablished in 1906