Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
Encyclopedia
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball
team in Keizer, Oregon
, United States
. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League
, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants
since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997. They play their home games at Volcanoes Stadium
, which opened in 1997 and seats 4,252 fans.
and adopted the parent club's nickname. The Salem Dodgers continued to play until the 1965 season, after which the franchise was dormant for 17 years.
In 1977, former Stockton Ports
owner/manager Carl Thompson purchased the Salem franchise and put it back on the field as an NWL member and Dodgers farm club. The revived Senators played until after the 1981 season, when the California Angels became the team's parent club.
The '82 Angels captured the first NWL championship by a Salem-area franchise, and became the first NWL champion with a losing regular-season record, a distinction which lasted until 2005.
The Salem Angels shifted their major-league affiliation and nickname back to the Dodgers after the 1987 season. The Dodgers played in Salem for two seasons, with future major-league star Mike Piazza
on the team's 1989 roster.
In 1990, owners moved the Salem Dodgers to Yakima, Washington
, mainly due to lack of adequate facilities. The Salem club had played its home games at the Chemeketa Community College
field, which lacked a grandstand, permanent concession stands and other amenities. It would be seven years before pro baseball returned to the Salem-Keizer metropolitan area.
, a city of 22,000 located immediately north of Salem. The Bellingham club, short-season Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants
, had the NWL's lowest attendance figures during each of its two seasons.
Keizer had strived to assert itself as an independent, thriving city for 12 years since the former Salem suburb had become an incorporated municipality. City officials and civic leaders worked toward getting a new baseball stadium located and built in Keizer. The area had lacked a suitable facility for pro baseball since the early 1960s, when the Salem Dodgers vacated historic Waters Field (which burned down in 1966).
Volcanoes Stadium was built in less than a year, on a tract of land adjacent to Interstate 5
just northwest of the Keizer interchange. The 4,252-seat facility was ready for the debut of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in 1997. Two years later, the American Institute of Architects honored the Volcanoes with a design award for the stadium.
Volcanoes Stadium also hosts all four of Oregon's state high-school baseball championship games. In 1998, the University of Oregon
football team played its spring Green-White game in the stadium.
Area fans chose the nickname "Volcanoes" in a contest. The new franchise was designated as a "Salem-Keizer" team, despite its location, in order to incorporate both the history and the prestige of the larger city and state capital.
As of 2009, the Volcanoes have won seven Western Division titles, including four straight between 2006 and 2009. The others came in the 1998, 2001 and 2003 seasons.
Salem-Keizer has won five NWL championships, in 1998, 2001, 2006, 2007, and 2009.
In 2001, the Volcanoes won the Freitas Award as the best short-season Class A baseball franchise in the U.S.
Notable former Salem-Keizer Volcanoes include Brian Horwitz
, now with the Cleveland Indians
organization; Joe Nathan
, now with the Twins
); Kurt Ainsworth
, Jesse Foppert
, Travis Ishikawa
, Noah Lowry
and Lance Niekro
. Since 1997, 23 former Volcanoes have played in the major leagues.
Two former Volcanoes also played in the inaugural 2006
World Baseball Classic
: Joe Nathan
(U.S.) and Jonathan Sanchez
(Puerto Rico).
The Volcanoes capped the '06 season by defeating the Boise Hawks
three games to one, winning the NWL pennant on September 10. John Odom started 15 games for the Volcanoes.
three games to one. The team was honored with the Best Short-Season and Best Overall Team in the 2007 Minor League Baseball Awards. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/awards/y2007/index.jsp
.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team in Keizer, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League
Northwest League
The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...
, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997. They play their home games at Volcanoes Stadium
Volcanoes Stadium
Volcanoes Stadium is a stadium in Keizer, Oregon. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes minor league baseball team, a Class-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Nicknamed "Oregon's Field of Dreams", it opened in 1997 and has a capacity of 4,250...
, which opened in 1997 and seats 4,252 fans.
History
The Salem-Keizer area has been home to professional baseball since 1940, when the Salem Senators (an homage to Salem's role as Oregon's capital) were formed as a member of the Western International League (WIL). When the WIL reformed into the current Northwest League (NWL) in 1955, the Senators were a charter member of the new circuit. The Salem franchise played as the Senators until 1960, when it became a Class A affiliate of the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and adopted the parent club's nickname. The Salem Dodgers continued to play until the 1965 season, after which the franchise was dormant for 17 years.
In 1977, former Stockton Ports
Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports are a baseball team in Stockton, California. The Ports play in the Northern Division of the Class A – Advanced California League and are a Minor League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Their home field is Banner Island Ballpark which seats over 5,000 people and opened in...
owner/manager Carl Thompson purchased the Salem franchise and put it back on the field as an NWL member and Dodgers farm club. The revived Senators played until after the 1981 season, when the California Angels became the team's parent club.
The '82 Angels captured the first NWL championship by a Salem-area franchise, and became the first NWL champion with a losing regular-season record, a distinction which lasted until 2005.
The Salem Angels shifted their major-league affiliation and nickname back to the Dodgers after the 1987 season. The Dodgers played in Salem for two seasons, with future major-league star Mike Piazza
Mike Piazza
Michael Joseph "Mike" Piazza ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. He played in his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics....
on the team's 1989 roster.
In 1990, owners moved the Salem Dodgers to Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
, mainly due to lack of adequate facilities. The Salem club had played its home games at the Chemeketa Community College
Chemeketa Community College
Chemeketa Community College is a community college located in Salem, Oregon, with smaller campuses in McMinnville, Dallas, Brooks, and Woodburn, and the Northwest Viticulture Center in Eola...
field, which lacked a grandstand, permanent concession stands and other amenities. It would be seven years before pro baseball returned to the Salem-Keizer metropolitan area.
Reborn as the Volcanoes
In 1996, Bellingham Giants co-owners Jerry Walker and William Tucker announced that they were moving the NWL franchise to Keizer, OregonKeizer, Oregon
Keizer is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States, along the 45th parallel. It was named for Thomas Dove and John Brooks Keizer, two pioneers who arrived in the Wagon Train of 1843, and later filed donation land claims. The population was 36,278 at the 2010 census...
, a city of 22,000 located immediately north of Salem. The Bellingham club, short-season Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, had the NWL's lowest attendance figures during each of its two seasons.
Keizer had strived to assert itself as an independent, thriving city for 12 years since the former Salem suburb had become an incorporated municipality. City officials and civic leaders worked toward getting a new baseball stadium located and built in Keizer. The area had lacked a suitable facility for pro baseball since the early 1960s, when the Salem Dodgers vacated historic Waters Field (which burned down in 1966).
Volcanoes Stadium was built in less than a year, on a tract of land adjacent to Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
just northwest of the Keizer interchange. The 4,252-seat facility was ready for the debut of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in 1997. Two years later, the American Institute of Architects honored the Volcanoes with a design award for the stadium.
Volcanoes Stadium also hosts all four of Oregon's state high-school baseball championship games. In 1998, the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
football team played its spring Green-White game in the stadium.
Area fans chose the nickname "Volcanoes" in a contest. The new franchise was designated as a "Salem-Keizer" team, despite its location, in order to incorporate both the history and the prestige of the larger city and state capital.
As of 2009, the Volcanoes have won seven Western Division titles, including four straight between 2006 and 2009. The others came in the 1998, 2001 and 2003 seasons.
Salem-Keizer has won five NWL championships, in 1998, 2001, 2006, 2007, and 2009.
In 2001, the Volcanoes won the Freitas Award as the best short-season Class A baseball franchise in the U.S.
Notable former Salem-Keizer Volcanoes include Brian Horwitz
Brian Horwitz
Brian Jeffery Horwitz, nicknamed "The Rabbi," is an American baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has won two minor league batting titles, and made his major league debut in 2008....
, now with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
organization; Joe Nathan
Joe Nathan
Joseph Michael Nathan is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball . Nathan started out his baseball career as a shortstop in high school but converted to a pitcher after being drafted by the San Francisco Giants...
, now with the Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
); Kurt Ainsworth
Kurt Ainsworth
Kurt Harold Ainsworth is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles and went to Louisiana State University...
, Jesse Foppert
Jesse Foppert
Jesse William Foppert is a Major League Baseball pitcher in the Florida Marlins organization.-High school and college:...
, Travis Ishikawa
Travis Ishikawa
Travis Takashi Ishikawa |Washington]]) is an American Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently with the San Francisco Giants organization...
, Noah Lowry
Noah Lowry
Noah Ryan Lowry is a free agent left-handed starting pitcher formerly of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball.-College and the MLB Draft:...
and Lance Niekro
Lance Niekro
Lance William Niekro is a former Major League Baseball player, nephew of Phil Niekro, and son of Joe Niekro. Niekro currently serves as an assistant coach at Florida Southern College....
. Since 1997, 23 former Volcanoes have played in the major leagues.
Two former Volcanoes also played in the inaugural 2006
2006 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:*The 2006 World Baseball Classic final 4 teams are Japan, Cuba, Korea and the Dominican Republic, with the United States at 3–3 failing to qualify for the semi-finals. Under the leadership of manager Sadaharu Oh and veterans Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japan ...
World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
: Joe Nathan
Joe Nathan
Joseph Michael Nathan is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball . Nathan started out his baseball career as a shortstop in high school but converted to a pitcher after being drafted by the San Francisco Giants...
(U.S.) and Jonathan Sanchez
Jonathan Sanchez
Jonathan O. Sánchez is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals....
(Puerto Rico).
2006 Season
The Volcanoes celebrated their 10th season in Salem-Keizer by ending the regular season with an NWL-record 55 victories. (The record is for the years since the league adopted a 76-game regular season.) The Volcanoes led the NWL in many categories during 2006, and set franchise records of:- Most consecutive games won (12)
- Most runs in an inning (10), in the seventh inning of a 19-3 rout of the CanadiansVancouver CanadiansThe Vancouver Canadians are a minor league baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadians are the Northwest League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The C's have previously affiliated with the Oakland Athletics between 2000-2010. They are the only Canadian team in the...
on August 30. In that game, catcher Adam Witter hitting the team's first ever cycleHitting for the cycleIn baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060830&content_id=125814&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp).
The Volcanoes capped the '06 season by defeating the Boise Hawks
Boise Hawks
The Boise Hawks are a minor league baseball team, located in Boise, Idaho. The team is currently a farm team for the Chicago Cubs and play in the Short-Season Class A Northwest League.-History:...
three games to one, winning the NWL pennant on September 10. John Odom started 15 games for the Volcanoes.
2007 Season
The Volcanoes broke their own record for wins in a season, finishing the season with a 57-19 mark, a .750 overall record; best in baseball that year. They won their second NWL championship in a row by defeating the Tri-City Dust DevilsTri-City Dust Devils
The Tri-City Dust Devils are a minor league baseball team in Pasco, Washington, United States. The Dust Devils are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team of the Colorado Rockies since their inception in 2001. The Devils play home games at Gesa...
three games to one. The team was honored with the Best Short-Season and Best Overall Team in the 2007 Minor League Baseball Awards. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/awards/y2007/index.jsp
2008 Season
Salem-Keizer won the division pennant in 2008, but lost the championship series to the Spokane IndiansSpokane Indians
The Spokane Indians are a minor league baseball team located in Spokane, Washington, United States. They are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team of the Texas Rangers since 2003. The Indians play home games at Avista Stadium...
.
Notable alumni
- Brian HorwitzBrian HorwitzBrian Jeffery Horwitz, nicknamed "The Rabbi," is an American baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has won two minor league batting titles, and made his major league debut in 2008....
, MLB/Minors Outfielder - Buster PoseyBuster PoseyGerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III is a catcher for the San Francisco Giants. He was drafted by the Giants fifth overall in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft....
, MLB Catcher - Tim LincecumTim LincecumTimothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
, MLB Starting Pitcher - Pablo SandovalPablo SandovalPablo E. Sandoval , nicknamed Kung Fu Panda, is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Sandoval is a 5'11", 237 pound switch hitter. He was born left handed, but did not want to have to play outfield all of his career. He therefore...
, MLB Third Baseman - Sergio RomoSergio RomoSergio Francisco Romo is a American right-handed professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League baseball.-Early life:Romo was born in Brawley, California to Mexican immigrant parents...
, MLB Relief Pitcher - Dan RunzlerDan RunzlerDaniel Joseph Runzler listed as 6'4", 230 pounds, is a left-handed pitcher currently on the San Francisco Giants 25-man roster...
, MLB Relief Pitcher - Jonathan SanchezJonathan SanchezJonathan O. Sánchez is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals....
, MLB Starting Pitcher - Emmanuel BurrissEmmanuel BurrissEmmanuel "Manny" Allen Burriss is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. He is a switch-hitter who throws right-handed and has played second base, shortstop, and third base.-Early life:...
, MLB/Minors Second Baseman - Brandon CrawfordBrandon CrawfordBrandon Michael Crawford is an American professional baseball player for the San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball . The shortstop was the sixth player in MLB history to hit a grand slam in his first Major League game...
, MLB Shortstop - Conor GillaspieConor GillaspieConor Michael Gillaspie is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the San Francisco Giants.-Baseball career:...
, MLB/Minors Third Baseman - Nate SchierholtzNate SchierholtzNathan John Schierholtz is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. Schierholtz commonly bats without batting gloves, one of the few Major Leaguers to do so...
, MLB Outfielder