Heyday
When Portland dropped out of the league after the 1917 season, a new Sacramento franchise was admitted to the PCL in 1918. For most of its existence, the Sacramento team finished in the second division, but there were a few bright spots. Originally known as the Senators, the team was purchased by Branch Rickey in 1935 and renamed the Sacramento Solons. Rickey's close friend and business partner Philip Bartelme served as the Solons' president from 1936 to 1944. The Solons finished first in 1937 but lost the postseason series to the San Diego Padres. In 1942 the Solons won their first - and only - Pacific Coast League pennant.
These were the glory years of the Pacific Coast League, during which it was unrivaled for the attention of West Coast baseball fans. The Solons drew reasonably well when featured opponents included teams from Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Francisco and Oakland. But after 1957, when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved to California, the aforementioned teams had removed to Spokane, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Vancouver respectively. Moreover, the relative proximity of the San Francisco Giants also took its toll on attendance. After the 1960 season, the team was sold and moved to Honolulu and renamed the Hawaii Islanders for 1961. The franchise still exists as the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
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