The Sunset League was 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 ...

circuit that operated from 1947 through 1950. The Sunset League was a Class C level league, with franchises based in the United States and Mexico. The league expanded from six to eight teams from 1949 to 1950. There was a previous league called the "Sunset League" that briefly played in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in the 1902 season. For the 1951 season, the circuit merged with the Arizona–Texas League to form the Southwest International League.

History

In 1902, a "Sunset League" included Beaumont (8–4), Lake Charles (7–6), Crowley (6–6) and Houston (3–8). Records are from the May 27, 1902, Houston Daily Post and are not official. The Sunset League was one of many short–lived minor leagues of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The Class C level circuit ran from 1947 through 1950. Las Vegas, El Centro and Riverside were members every year. It was an extremely high offensive league; in 1947, Las Vegas averaged 9 runs a game and finished 73–67. The league merged with the Arizona-Texas League in 1951 to form the Southwest International League.

Cities represented

* Anaheim, CA: Anaheim Valencias (1947); Anaheim/San Bernardino Valencias (1948) *

El Centro, CA El Centro (Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the most populous city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core u ...

: El Centro Imperials (1947–1950) *

Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-larg ...

Las Vegas Wranglers The Las Vegas Wranglers were a professional ice hockey team based in Las Vegas Valley. The Wranglers were members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League). The Wranglers were founded a ...

(1947–1950) *

Mexicali, Baja California Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali metropolitan area is ...

: Mexicali Eagles (1948–1949) * Ontario, CA: Ontario Orioles (1947) * Porterville, CA: Porterville Packers (1949–1950) *

Reno, NV Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, in the Truckee River ...

Reno Silver Sox The Reno Silver Sox were a minor league baseball team that existed on and off from 1947 to 1992. The team name is derived from the nickname of Nevada, the "Silver State". From part of the 1955 season to 1992, they played their home games at Mo ...

(1947–1949) * Riverside, CA: Riverside Dons (1947; 1949); Riverside Rubes (1948; 1950) *

Salinas, CA Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Flats") is a city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban are ...

: Salinas Colts (1949) *

San Bernardino, CA San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

: San Bernardino Pioneers (1949–1950) * Tijuana, Baja CA:

Tijuana Potros The Tijuana Cimarrones were a professional independent baseball franchise based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They were originally a minor league baseball team in Liga Mexicana de Béisbol (Mexican Baseball League), but joined the Golden ...

(1949–1950) *

Yuma, AZ Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan St ...

: Yuma Panthers (1950)

Standings and statistics

1947 to 1948

1947 Sunset League Playoffs: Riverside 3 games, Las Vegas 0; Anaheim 3 games, Ontario 0.
Finals: Anaheim 4 games, Riverside 1. 1948 Sunset League
schedule
Anaheim (13–42) moved to San Bernardino June 25.
Playoffs: Reno 3 games, Mexicali 0; Las Vegas 3 games, Riverside 1.
Finals: Reno 3 games, Las Vegas 2.

1949 to 1950

1949 Sunset League
schedule
Salinas moved to Tijuana August 5.
Playoffs: None Scheduled. 1950 Sunset League
schedule
Playoffs: Mexicali 2 games, Las Vegas 1; El Centro 2 games, Riverside 1.
Finals: El Centro 2 games, Mexicali 1.

Championship teams

* 1947 – Anaheim Valencias * 1948 –

* 1949 –

* * 1950 – El Centro Imperials : * ''Playoffs were not played''

References

* Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (1993). ''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball''. Baseball America. {{reflist

External links

Baseball Reference – 1947 Sunset League

Baseball Reference – 1948 Sunset League

Baseball Reference – 1949 Sunset League

Baseball Reference – 1950 Sunset League

Mike McCann's Minor League Baseball Page
1947 establishments in the United States 1950 disestablishments in the United States Baseball leagues in California Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Nevada Baseball leagues in Arizona