| Far West League | |
| Sport: | Minor League Baseball |
| President: | Jerry Donovan (1948–1951) |
| Inaugural: | 1948 |
| Teams: | 11 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Continent: | or |
| Continents: | --> |
| Folded: | 1951 |
| Most Champs: | 1 Santa Rosa Pirates (1948) Pittsburg Diamonds (1949) Redding Browns (1950) Klamath Falls Gems (1951) |
| Classification: | Class D (1948–1951) |
The Far West League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1948 to 1951. The Far West League was a Class D level league, with franchises based in California, Nevada and Oregon. The Santa Rosa Pirates (1948), Pittsburg Diamonds (1949), Redding Browns (1950) and Klamath Falls Gems (1951) won league championships.
The Far West League had eight teams in each of its first three seasons, before reducing to six teams in its final season of 1951. The league began play in 1948 with the Klamath Falls Gems, Marysville Braves, Medford Nuggets, Oroville Red Sox, Pittsburg Diamonds, Redding Browns, Santa Rosa Pirates and Willows Cardinals as the charter members.[1]
In 1948, the Klamath Falls Gems were a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate; the Marysville Braves a Boston Braves affiliate; the Medford Nuggets, a Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate; the Oroville Red Sox, a Boston Red Sox affiliate; the Redding Browns, a St. Louis Browns affiliate; the Santa Rosa Pirates, a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate and the Willows Cardinals were a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate.[1]
The league held four–team playoffs from 1948 to 1950 and a two–team final in 1951. League championships were won by the Santa Rosa Pirates (1948), Pittsburg Diamonds (1949), Redding Browns (1950), and Klamath Falls Gems (1951).[2] [3]
The Far West League permanently folded following the conclusion of the 1951 season.[4] [3]
1948 Far West League
schedule
| Team standings | W – L | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 67–51 | – | ||
| 66–56 | 3.0 | ||
| 67–58 | 3.5 | ||
| 63–59 | 6.0 | Dan Reagan | |
| 62–63 | 8.5 | James Tyack / Bill Krueger | |
| 61–62 | 8.5 | ||
| 59–63 | 10.0 | ||
| 38–71 | 24.5 | Gus Suhr / Arnold Rose / Bill Shewey | |
| Redding | BA | .411 | Larry Shepard | Medford | W | 22 | ||
| Don Taylor | Medford | Runs | 139 | Jules Hudson | Oroville | SO | 237 | |
| Redding | Hits | 179 | Ronald Lee | Medford | ERA | 2.53 | ||
| Redding | RBI | 163 | Larry Shepard | Medford | Pct | .880; 22–3 | ||
| Redding | HR | 36 |
1949 Far West League
| Team standings | W – L | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 84–43 | – | ||
| 78–46 | 4.5 | ||
| 68–58 | 15.5 | ||
| 63–64 | 21.0 | ||
| 59–66 | 24.0 | Rex Carr | |
| 39–84 | 43.0 | Dan Reagan | |
| 43–49 | NA | Joe Abreu / Alvin Kruk / Lembert Serpa / Lou Vezilich | |
| 34–58 | NA | Lou Vezilich | |
| Lou Vezilich | Vallejo/Santa Rosa | BA | .406 | William Carr | Pittsburg | W | 21 | |
| Ray Perry Ted Hess | Redding Klamath Falls | Runs | 135 135 | James Howard | Redding | SO | 226 | |
| Ted Hess | Klamath Falls | Hits | 188 | William Carr | Pittsburg | ERA | 3.28 | |
| Redding | RBI | 155 | Blair Simpson | Pittsburg | Pct. | .882; 15–2 | ||
| Redding | HR | 45 |
1950 Far West League
schedule
| Team standings | W – L | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87–52 | – | ||
| 86–54 | 1.5 | ||
| 75–63 | 11.5 | Joe Borich | |
| 69–70 | 18.0 | Tommy Nelson / Wilfred Jonas | |
| 67–73 | 20.5 | ||
| 62–77 | 25.0 | Lou Vezilich | |
| 56–82 | 30.5 | Bert Kenmuir / Charles Welchel | |
| 54–85 | 33.0 | Ray Malgradi | |
| Joe Borich | Reno | BA | .387 | Andy Sierra | Klamath Falls | W | 22 | |
| Redding | Runs | 162 | Andy Sierra | Klamath Falls | SO | 258 | ||
| George Triandos | Klamath Falls | Hits | 183 | Eugene Valentine | Pittsburg | ERA | 1.82 | |
| Redding | RBI | 170 | Hub Kittle | Klamath Falls | Pct | 1.000; 10–0 | ||
| Redding | HR | 44 |
| Team Standings | W – L | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76–55 | – | Ray Perry | |
| 74–54 | 0.5 | Bill DeCarlo | |
| 52–65 | 17.0 | ||
| 51–70 | 20.0 | ||
| 47–67 | 20.5 | ||
| 29–18 | NA | ||