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Portland Pickles

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Portland Pickles
Information
LeagueWest Coast League (2018–present)
LocationPortland, Oregon
BallparkCharles B. Walker Stadium at Lents Park
Founded2015
Nickname(s)Picks
League championships1 (2024)
Division championships1 (2024)
Former league(s)Great West League (2016–2017)
Wild Wild West League (2020)
ColorsNavy Blue, Green and White
     
MascotDillon the Pickle
OwnershipRose City Baseball, LLC:
Alan Miller
Jon Ryan
Scott Barchus
ManagerMark Magdaleno
General ManagerRoss Campbell
Websitewww.portlandpicklesbaseball.com

The Portland Pickles are a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the South Division of the West Coast League, a premier collegiate summer baseball league based in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. The Pickles play their home games at Walker Stadium in Portland's Lents Park.

History

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Team founding and naming (2015)

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Pickles Original Logo (2015–2023)

In 2010, the Portland Beavers minor league baseball club left Portland, leaving the city without a team.[1] On March 11, 2015, it was announced that baseball would return to Portland with the establishment of a new collegiate wood-bat team. The as-yet-unnamed team would be owned and operated by Rose City Baseball LLC, in partnership with the city of Portland, and would play its games at Charles B. Walker Stadium in Lents Park.[2]

On April 21, 2015, team officials announced the team's name at Woodstock Elementary School in Southeast Portland. The name was selected by online voting from six candidates. In order of vote, Pickles was followed by Mud Hounds, Red Dogs, Posse, Pliers, and Pixels.[3] In August, J.J. Altobelli was named as the team's first manager.[4] The team introduced its mascot, Dillon the pickle, in October.[5]

Great West League (2015–2017)

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The Pickles were charter members of the Great West League, having been founded by GWL commissioner Ken Wilson.[6] The Pickles (claimed to have) played before 16 sell-outs and to 99% of capacity in their inaugural 2016 season (announced figures).

On April 5, 2017, it was announced that Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan and marketing entrepreneur Alan Miller would become part of the Pickles ownership group, along with members from Rose City Baseball LLC.[7] Former Major League Baseball pitcher and Oregon-native Jeff Lahti took over the managerial role for the 2017 season,[8] leading the Pickles to their first playoff berth.[9] They were eliminated from the Great West League playoffs by the Medford Rogues in the semifinals.[10]

West Coast League (2018–2019)

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On October 24, 2017, the Pickles announced that they were leaving the GWL and joining the West Coast League.[11][12] Prior to the 2018 season, Gresham GreyWolves head coach Justin Barchus replaced Lahti as manager.[13]

The Pickles won the South Division in the first half of the season with a 17–9 record, securing them a playoff spot in their first year.[14] Portland went on to claim the best record in the WCL by going 37–17 overall, but could not get past the Corvallis Knights in the first round of playoffs.[15] Justin Barchus went on to win WCL Coach of the Year along with Kelowna Falcons manager Bryan Donohue.[16]

In February 2019, Miller and Ryan took over full ownership of the team.[17] On May 15, the Pickles announced a two-year partnership with CBD company Lazarus Naturals, the first of its kind in baseball history. Lazarus Naturals sponsored a concert series at the stadium and provided luxury box seating for selected veterans.[18]

In December, it was announced that Rose City Baseball would operate a farm team called the Portland Gherkins for the 2020 season. The Gherkins would play games against the Pickles, WCL opponents, and other independent teams.[19]

Wild Wild West League (2020)

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On June 5, 2020, the West Coast League board of directors voted to cancel the 2020 season due to COVID-19 pandemic.[20] The Pickles organization founded the Wild Wild West League in response, playing in Bob Brack Stadium at North Marion High School in Aurora, Oregon.[21] The league consisted of four teams: the Pickles, Portland Gherkins, Gresham GreyWolves, and West Linn Knights.[22]

Though fans were not allowed to attend, games were broadcast on Facebook and YouTube.[22] Games ran from July to August.[23] The West Linn Knights beat the Pickles in the championship series.[21]

West Coast League (2021-present)

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After 2020, the Pickles returned to the West Coast League for the 2021 season. The Wild Wild West League continued and added the Portland Rosebuds and Willamette Wild Bills, two new teams that were also owned by Rose City Baseball.[24]

On June 8, 2021, the Pickles promoted manager Justin Barchus to Director of Player Personnel/Operations and made Mark Magdalena the new manager.[25][26] In November 2021, the Pickles opened The Pickle Jar, a retail store and community space in Downtown Portland.[27]

On July 18, 2022, intern Emily Paulson became the first woman to play for the Pickles.[28] That year, the Pickles were crowned the Southern Division champions, ending a four-year playoff drought.[29] The team was ultimately swept in the first round by the Ridgefield Raptors.[30]

In 2023, the Pickles swept the Ridgefield Raptors in the first round of the playoffs to face the Corvallis Knights in the Divisional Championship game.[31] The Pickles lost the game 4–1 and were eliminated from the playoffs.[32]

2024

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In March 2024, Rose City Baseball opened the Portland Pickles Public House, a Portland Pickles-themed sports bar on Mississippi Avenue.[33][34]

On July 9th, Tanner Griffith, Patrick Keighran, Freddie Rodriguez, and Shay Timmer were selected to represent the Pickles in the 2024 all star game in Bellingham.[35]

The Pickles qualified for the playoffs for the third straight season and clinched the South Division Second Half Championship. The Pickles swept the Elks 2-0 in the Divisional Series and upset the seven time defending WCL Champion Knights in Corvallis to win their first South Division Championship in franchise history. The Pickles hosted the AppleSox in the WCL Championship Game.[36]

Going into the bottom of the ninth inning of a close game, the Pickles found themselves down 4-5. After loading the bases, Diego Castellanos would be walked to bring in the tying run. On the very next pitch, Conner Stewart would hit a difficult to field ground ball that brought Tanner Griffith home to give the Pickles the walk off win and their first WCL Championship in franchise history. Commissioner Rob Neyer was unable to award the Pickles the trophy for a long period of time due to fans storming the field. Their batboy Ralphie was lifted onto the shoulders of players and showered by owner Jon Ryan with Champagne. [37]

Relationship with Mazatlan

[edit]

The Portland Pickles have a special relationship with Venados de Mazatlan of the Mexican Pacific League. In June 2019, the Pickles held Venados Night, where the team wore Mazatlan jerseys.[38][39] In October, the Pickles traveled to Mexico and played against Venados de Mazatlan in a friendly exhibition game in front of 16,000 people. In the lead up to the game, the Pickles held tryouts amongst fans in Portland for the chance to travel with the team to Mexico and play in the game.[40][41]

In September 2021, the Pickles returned to Mexico for another series against Venados de Mazatlan.[42][43] USA Baseball's Kelcie Whitmore joined the Pickles and threw five scoreless innings in game two.[44][45]

[edit]

In January 2022, Pickles mascot Dillon T. Pickle posted an inappropriate photo on Twitter during a social media takeover. The image appeared to show the mascot exposing his genitalia.[46][47]

In February 2022, the mascot costume for Dillon T. Pickle was stolen after delivery in a case of package theft. The team had been playing in the Dominican Republic and the luggage containing the mascot costume was separated from the team.[48] After being found by the airline, it was shipped to the wrong address in Portland and subsequently stolen off the front porch. It was eventually dropped off at Voodoo Doughnut by a person wishing to remain anonymous.[49][50] The incident attracted the attention of some national media, who covered the saga in a bemused fashion.[51]

Results by season

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Year League Division Finish W L Win % GB Postseason Manager
2016 GWL 3rd 32 25 .561 8 Did Not Qualify J.J. Altobelli
2017 GWL 4th 31 29 .517 9 Lost Semifinal (Rogues) Jeff Lahti
2018 WCL South 1st 37 17 .685 -- Lost Division Series 0-2 (Knights) Justin Barchus
2019 WCL South 4th 24 29 .453 17.5 Did Not Qualify Justin Barchus
2020 WWWL[nb 1] 2nd 8 8 .500 Won Semifinal (GreyWolves)
Lost Championship (Knights) 		Justin Barchus
2021 WCL South 3rd 26 22 .542 11 Did Not Qualify Justin Barchus (Until June 8), Mark Magdaleno
2022 WCL South 2nd 36 16 .692 2 Lost South Divisional Series 0–2 (Raptors) Mark Magdaleno
2023 WCL South 4th 28 26 .519 11 Won South Divisional Series 2-0 (Raptors)
Lost South Division Championship Game 1-4 (at Knights) 		Mark Magdaleno
2024 WCL South 2nd 44 14 .759 1 Won South Divisional Series 2-0 (Elks)
Won South Division Championship Game 4-1 (at Knights)
Won WCL Championship Game 6-5 (AppleSox) 		Mark Magdaleno
League Champions Division Champions Playoff Team

All-Star Game selections

[edit]
Year Players Ref
2018 Zander Clarke, Joey Cooper, Gio Diaz, Brad McVay, Michael Newstrom, Connor Pellerin [53]
2019 Titus Groeneweg, Conner Thurman [54]
2020 2020 WCL Season cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic
2024 Tanner Griffith, Patrick Keighran, Freddie Rodriguez, Shay Timmer

Notes

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  1. ^ Due to the cancellation of 2020 West Coast League season, the Pickles founded and played in the Wild Wild West League during 2020[52]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Fentress, Aaron (2010-08-22). "Three strikes and the Portland Beavers are out". oregonlive. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  2. ^ "Baseball is Coming Back to Portland in 2016". www.portland.gov. 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  3. ^ Brandon, Steve (April 21, 2015). "Name that team: Portland Pickles is the winner". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  4. ^ "PORTLAND PICKLES NAME FIRST MANAGER". Greatwestleague.com. August 17, 2015. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016.
  5. ^ "PORTLAND PICKLES BRANDING UNVEILED". Greatwestleague.com. October 7, 2015. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016.
  6. ^ "2016 GREAT WEST LEAGUE SCHEDULE RELEASED". Greatwestleague.com. September 28, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016.
  7. ^ "Pickles Add To Ownership Group". lincolnpotters.com. April 4, 2017. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  8. ^ Tribune, Portland (2016-10-10). "Former MLB hurler Lahti takes Pickles reins; Winterhawks' Glass named WHL player of the week". PortlandTribune.com. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  9. ^ "Pickles clinch playoff berth". PortlandTribune.com. 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  10. ^ "Rogues Weather Storm, Take Game Three". medfordrogues.com. August 10, 2017. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  11. ^ "Pickles Join the West Coast League". PORTLAND PICKLES BASEBALL. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  12. ^ "Pickles join the West Coast League". oregonlive. 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  13. ^ Tribune, Portland (2017-12-01). "Pickles pick manager for 2018". PortlandTribune.com. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  14. ^ Johnson, Braden (2018-07-06). "Pickles relish playoff spot". PortlandTribune.com. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  15. ^ "Knights Oust Pickles 4-1 in 11 Innings, Advance to WCL Finals". Corvallis Knights Baseball. 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  16. ^ "All-WCL Teams and Awards Announced". West Coast League. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  17. ^ Ligori, Crystal (August 2, 2019). "The Pickles Have Captured Portland's Hearts (And Tattooed Their Arms)". opb. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  18. ^ Brown, Maury (May 16, 2019). "West Coast League's Portland Pickles Unveil First-Ever CBD Sponsorship In Baseball". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  19. ^ Odom, Joel (2019-12-10). "Portland Pickles to add a farm team, and of course it's called the Portland Gherkins". oregonlive. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  20. ^ "WCL Cancels 2020 Season". West Coast League. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  21. ^ a b Martinez, Tim (2024-03-22). "Local players relish getting to play baseball in Wild Wild West League". The Columbian. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  22. ^ a b Humburg, JD (2020-06-14). "Baseball in 2020: Portland Pickles announce formation of Wild Wild West League". oregonlive. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  23. ^ Schlegel, Zack (2020-06-11). "Portland Pickles: Introducing the Wild Wild West League". 750 The Game. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  24. ^ Martinez, Tim (2024-03-20). "Wild Wild West League will return for second summer of baseball". The Columbian. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  25. ^ "Portland Pickles". Twitter. June 8, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  26. ^ Rice, Micah (June 10, 2021). "Raptors rally from big deficit to beat Pickles in 13 innings". The Columbian. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  27. ^ Yohannes, Aron (2021-11-15). "Portland Pickles opening 'The Pickle Jar' clubhouse, retail store downtown". oregonlive. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  28. ^ Brood, Dan (2022-07-27). "'It's something I'll never forget.' Tigard alum Emily Paulson makes history as first woman to play for Portland Pickles baseball team". Sports Illustrated High School. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  29. ^ "Portland Pickles going to West Coast League playoffs, first time in 4 years". KPTV. 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  30. ^ Denner, Will (August 11, 2022). "Ridgefield Raptors finish series sweep of Portland Pickles in hostile road environment". The Columbian. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  31. ^ King, Chris (2023-08-11). "Four Teams Advance to Saturday's Divisional Championship Games". West Coast League. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  32. ^ "Knights continue run to title game by ousting Portland 4-1". Corvallis Knights Baseball. 2023-08-13. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  33. ^ "The Portland Pickles Pub to Open Massive Sports Bar". PORTLAND PICKLES BASEBALL. March 20, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  34. ^ Wong, Janey (2024-03-22). "The Portland Pickles Opened a Sports Bar on North Mississippi Yesterday". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  35. ^ https://westcoastleague.com/wcl-all-star-game-rosters-announced/ [bare URL]
  36. ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/schedule.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=33877 [bare URL]
  37. ^ https://westcoastleague.com/pickles-win-2024-wcl-championship/ [bare URL]
  38. ^ Brandon, Steve (2019-06-14). "Pickles pitch Venados Night to baseball fans". PortlandTribune.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  39. ^ Garcia, Kyle (2019-06-15). "Pickles honor Mazatlan Venados, but drop game to Elks". PortlandTribune.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  40. ^ "Portland Pickles open tryouts to the public before game in Mexico". KATU. 2019-08-21. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  41. ^ Marshall, Paul (August 2, 2020). "Portland's baseball dreamer". opb. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  42. ^ Madsen, Sheila (2021-07-06). "The Revenge of the Pickles". mazatlanlife.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  43. ^ "The Portland Pickles return to Mexico, celebrating the unifying spirit of sports". Village Portland. 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  44. ^ Arden, Amanda (2021-10-20). "First female player joins Portland Pickles baseball team". KOIN.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  45. ^ Raineri, J. P. (2021-10-08). "Temecula's Kelsie Whitmore becomes first female baseball player for Portland Pickles". Valley News. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  46. ^ Lemoncelli, Jenna (2022-01-14). "Mascot in hot water for exposing his 'pickle' on Twitter". New York Post. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  47. ^ Yohannes, Aron (2022-01-13). "Portland Pickles end mascot takeover after posting disturbing image on Twitter". oregonlive. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  48. ^ "Porch pirate pilfers Portland Pickles mascot amid airline delivery dill-emma". KATU. 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  49. ^ Ferguson, Bennett Campbell (2022-02-17). "The Portland Pickles Have Recovered Their Stolen Mascot". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  50. ^ "The curious case of Dillon the Pickle is closed". opb. February 17, 2022. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  51. ^ Treisman, Rachel (February 10, 2022). "The Portland Pickles need your help finding their stolen mascot, Dillon T. Pickle". NPR.
  52. ^ "WCL Cancels 2020 Season". June 5, 2020.
  53. ^ "WCL Announces All-Star Game Rosters". westcoastleague.com. 10 July 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  54. ^ "WCL All-Star Game Rosters Announced". westcoastleague.com. 22 July 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
General
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