The Salem Senators are the longest lasting name used by several minor league

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

teams based in Salem in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. The team name derived from Salem being the capital of Oregon. The team was founded in 1940. The current incarnation competes in the

Mavericks Independent Baseball League The Mavericks Independent Baseball League is an Independent baseball league based in Keizer, Oregon, founded in 2021. Each team in the Mavericks League plays a 48-game regular season schedule from May through August, with a championship series at ...

History

The Senators were preceded in Salem by the Salem Raglans, who played the 1904 season in the Class D Oregon State League, claiming the championship when the Oregon State League permanently folded during the season. Salem finished with a 27–13 record, 5.5 games ahead of the second place Eugene Blues in the four–team league. The Raglans played their games at the Capital Amateur Athletic Club (C.A.A.C.) Park, which was on the north side of Asylum Avenue (now Center Street NE) near the Asylum (now

Oregon State Hospital Oregon State Hospital is a public psychiatric hospital in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the state's capital city of Salem, Oregon, Salem with a smaller satellite campus in Junction City, Oregon, Junction City opened in 2014. Founded in ...

). regon City Directory, 1905 On May 1, 1940, the first Senators' game was played at the new 5,000 seat Waters Field, which was also the first professional baseball game in the city. George E. Waters had bought the Class B Bellingham Chinooks franchise from the

Western International League The Western International League 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 ...

and relocated them from

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the county seat of Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It lies south of the Canada–United States border, U.S.–Canada border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, ...

, and then built the ballpark for $60,000. It was on the east side of 25th Street SE (bordering the third base line), about a block's length north of the angling Turner Road (later Mission St NE - roughly paralleling the first base line). (If Helms Street were extended east, it would have bordered the first base line

A crowd of 4,865 showed up for the first game against the Yakima Pippins, which at the time was the largest sports crowd for an event in Salem. Waters died after the season, and in 1942 his widow sold the team to 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 ...

, who used it as a

farm team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...

. At the time, the Beavers were 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 ...

, a near-major league level league. During the 1942 season, player and business manager Al Lightner attempted to sign a convicted murderer serving time at the

Oregon State Penitentiary Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP), also known as Oregon State Prison, is a supermax, maximum security prison in the northwestern United States in Salem, Oregon. Originally opened in Portland, Oregon, Portland in 1851, it relocated to Salem f ...

to pitch a game, but

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 ...

threatened to ban Lightner if the convict played in the game. The team went on hiatus from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II. After the war, attorney Don Young helped raise $50,000 to buy the team and stadium from the Beavers in 1951. In 1961, the team was renamed the Dodgers after becoming a farm team for 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. Players on the Dodgers' teams included future managers

Bobby Cox Robert Joe Cox (born May 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cox played for the New York Yankees and managed the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. He is a member of ...

and

Jim Lefebvre James Kenneth Lefebvre ( ; born January 7, 1942) is an American former professional infielder, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1962. Baseball career Playing ...

. The Salem team ceased operations in 1966, at which time it was still a Class B team. On November 11, 1966, the already-condemned and mostly-wooden Waters Field burned down. A US Post Office and its parking lot stand on the site now.

Reincarnation

In 1977, the Salem Senators returned as an independent team in the Class A Northwest League. They lost their first game on June 17 to the

Portland Mavericks The Portland Mavericks are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league created in 2021. The entire league, including the Mavericks, will play their games at ...

9–8. Home games were at Holland Youth Park and then Chemeketa Community College. Founder and owner Carl Thompson was forced to sell the team in August 1978 to a group led by Ben Yates. After the 1981 season, team president Clint Holland signed a development agreement with the

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

, and the Senators became the Salem Angels for the 1982 season.

Salem Angels

1982 season

The Salem Angels' first season was both a disappointment and a success. They finished with a mediocre record of 34 wins and 36 losses, but their performance was good enough to lead the Northwest League's Northern Division. The playoffs provided the team's success, as the Angels won the league championship. Team

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Joe Maddon Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager (baseball), manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing ...

, who is currently the manager of the

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

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

, won the Northwest League's Manager of the year award. The team's future

Major league Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

players include

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

Mark McLemore, and four of their starting pitchers. These pitchers are

Kirk McCaskill Kirk Edward McCaskill (born April 9, 1961) is a Canadian-American former Major League Baseball pitcher and former professional ice hockey player. He played in Major League Baseball for the California Angels and Chicago White Sox between 1985 and ...

, who easily had the most extensive career of the four,

Bob Kipper Robert Wayne Kipper (born July 8, 1964) is an American professional baseball coach and a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. He has also spent two terms (all of the 2002 season, and part of the 2015 season) as bullpen coach of MLB's Bos ...

, Urbano Lugo, and Tony Mack.

1983 season

Returning manager Maddon and his Angels team's regular season record did not improve. Their 31–39 win–loss record was only good enough for fourth in the league's Oregon division, and they did not qualify for the playoffs. Future Major Leaguers on this club were 3B/2B Jack Howell, and starter Ray Chadwick.

1984 season

Maddon moved onto Peoria for the 1984 season, and the managing duties were given to Larry Patterson. The team finished with its third consecutive losing season, with a 35-39 record, and finished third in the Oregon division. Future Major Leaguers from this team include OF/ 1B

Dante Bichette Alphonse Dante Bichette Sr. (; born November 18, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the California Angels (1988–1990), Milwaukee Brewers (1991–1992), Colorad ...

, who went on to a long and successful career with the Angels and the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, OF Doug Jennings,

Catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Erik Pappas Erik Daniel Pappas (born April 25, 1966) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. Baseball career The Chicago native is a 1984 ...

, 2B

Pete Coachman Bobby Dean Coachman (born November 11, 1961) is an American former professional baseball player who played part of one season for the Los Angeles Angels, California Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted in the 11th round of the ...

, OF Brian Brady, and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Sherman Corbett.

1985 season

For the 1985 season, manager Patterson was replaced with Bruce Hines, and the Angels finished with its first winning season, with a 39-35 record, which was still only good enough to rank them third in the Oregon division, and the team did not qualify for the playoffs. Future Major leaguers include

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

Chuck Finley, who went on to a long and successful career as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

, SS Bobby Rose, and RP Frank Dimichele.

1986 season

Manager Hines returned for a second season, and again, he led his team to winning record (38-36), but they again finished third in the Oregon division and did not qualify for the playoffs. Future Major Leaguers include OF Lee Stevens, pitchers Alan Mills, Mike Fetters, Roberto Hernández, and Colby Ward.

1987 season

Manager Hines departed, and his duties were given to Chris Smith. The team finished third in the Western division with a 34-41 record. It was to be the team's last season in the Northwest League, and future Major Leaguers include OF/3B Rubén Amaro, Jr., C John Orton, and P Gary Buckels.

Later years

The franchise became the Dodgers again in 1988 and moved to

Yakima, Washington Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...

in 1990 to become the

Yakima Bears The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season ...

. The team returned to Oregon following the 2012 season as the

Hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whic ...

in Hillsboro. The

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league entirely based in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area and playing all their ...

later represented the Salem area in MiLB from 1997-2020.

2021 return

After Salem Again lost a MiLB team, in 2021, the

ownership launched the four-team

at Volcanoes Stadium and revived the Senators name for one of the teams.

Notable Salem Alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

alumni *

(1961-1962) Inducted, 2014 *

Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007, and is a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. He intended ...

(1989) Inducted, 2016 Notable alumni *

(1984) 4x MLB All-Star * Mike Fetters (1986) * Chuck Finley (1985) 5x MLB All-Star * Roberto Hernandez (1986) 2x MLB All-Star *

(1963) MLB All-Star; 1965 NL Rookie of the Year * Frank Lucchesi (1946) *

(1982) *

(1982-1983, MGR) 3x MLB Manager of the Year; Manager, 2016 World Series Champion -

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

* Henry Rodriguez (1988) MLB All-Star * Lee Stevens (1986)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Salem - Baseball Reference
Defunct Northwest League teams Baseball teams established in 1940 Sports clubs and teams in Salem, Oregon Defunct baseball teams in Oregon 1940 establishments in Oregon Philadelphia Phillies minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in Oregon 1989 disestablishments in Oregon Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1989 Baseball teams disestablished in 1981 Baseball teams disestablished in 1942 Baseball teams disestablished in 1960 Baseball teams established in 1946 Salem, Oregon Polk County, Oregon Marion County, Oregon Western International League teams