Swinging for 20: On eve of NWL playoffs, revisiting Spokane’s rich championship history in minor league baseball

Can Spokane win another professional baseball championship? Nineteen has been good. Wouldn’t 20, a nice round number, sound better?

The Indians, who have gone 15 years without one, appear poised to break the drought. They dominated this year’s Northwest League season, finishing first in both halves of the split season. But, since 2008, they have been tested in nine playoffs series, and they lost them all.

Tonight, up north, when the playoffs begin, they will meet the Vancouver Canadians, who’ve won a handful of league titles.

If Spokane’s able to claim the pennant, home-field advantage won’t be a factor. The makeover of the Avista Stadium field began last week. And even if it hadn’t, the Spokane Interstate Fair – its grounds surrounding the stadium – began over the weekend. So, when the series comes to town on Friday, the Indians will play at Gonzaga University’s Patterson Baseball Complex. They can’t sell lots of tickets. Avista holds almost 7,000 fans. Patterson seats about 1,500.

However, the Indians face the challenge with plenty of ammunition. They have won 78 games and lost only 51. Though the parent Colorado Rockies promoted the top-rated pitchers, good arms remain. MVP candidate Kyle Karros heads a potent offense. He just missed the Triple Crown but led the league in many categories. And defensively, Ron Cey, who played here in 1971 and 17 years in the majors, may have been his only peer.

Let’s have a look at Spokane’s 19 champions, spread over more than 130 years, separated by era.

Pacific Northwest League

As this region’s principal cities gained critical mass, the four obvious candidates – Seattle, Portland, Tacoma and Spokane – formed the Northwest’s first professional baseball league in 1890. Midwest sports promoter John Barnes selected the Spokane franchise and, as the season progressed, he harvested talented players from other teams around the country. Many of them had long careers.

Frank “Piggy” Ward, a boisterous free spirit, won the batting title. Happy Jack Huston led the pitchers with 28 wins. Outfielder Abner Powell became the longtime owner of the pro team in New Orleans.

Spokane (61-35) won the pennant with a flourish. The city wouldn’t see another for 20 years.

The PNL needed a decade to gain solid footing, and, in 1905, it clumsily morphed into the Northwestern League. In 1910, it shrunk to four teams, and the local nine – now known as Indians – won 96 games, seven more than Vancouver, which became a rival for many decades.

Catcher Harry Ostdiek, who had played briefly in the majors, became the manager. In four years, he handled the team for a record number of games.

Brilliant pitching by Jesse Baker (28-10) and Jack Killala (24-10) led the way. First baseman Lou Nordyke won the batting title.

The 1916 Indians may be the best Spokane ballclub that’s nearly unknown. They won by 12 games with a roster that included three hot prospects, first baseman Earl Sheely – from North Central High’s first class – outfielder Ken Williams and Dutch Ruether, a fun-loving lefty who hit nearly as well as he pitched.

Sheely, who’s in the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame, hit .300 in nine big-league seasons. In 1922, Williams became the first to pair 30 home runs with 30 stolen bases. Ruether won 137 games and, at .258, outhit a few current Mariners.

Western International League

Between the world war and the roaring part of the ’20s, the Northwestern league’s survivor fell apart. Fifteen years passed before the WIL began play in 1937. Spokane’s team was called Hawks.

Two years later, Bill Ulrich, who ran a downtown café, bought the franchise and restored the traditional name. Soon he had a powerhouse.

In 1940, when minor-league legend Smead Jolley had a fabulous season, the Indians finished first but lost in the playoffs. For 1941, Pete Hughes, a rising star, helped Spokane (89-44) finish 18 games ahead of Vancouver. He led the league with 34 homers, 139 runs and a record 156 walks.

In 1948, with new owners, Buddy Ryan, a former PCL manager known for developing young players, put together a team of veterans, some of them rascals. Ryan became very ill and turned his underachievers over to Dolph Camilli, the 1941 National League MVP.

After Camilli laid down the law, the Indians won 45 of their final 57 games and overtook Bremerton in the last two days. Edo Vanni, part of other successful Spokane teams, hit .327 and scored 136 runs.

In 1951, after owner Roy Hotchkiss decided not to sack manager Alan Strange, a deep pitching staff and the league’s best offense delivered a pennant. John Conant and Dick Bishop won 16 games apiece. Vanni batted .335 with three teammates right behind him. Eddie Murphy, another fixture, stole a record 90 bases.

Nonetheless, given a second chance, Hotchkiss fired the manager.

Sandpoint native Don Osborn had managed and pitched Vancouver’s Capilanos to the 1942 title, going 22-5 with a league-leading 1.63 ERA. Postwar, he managed farm teams for the Cubs then joined the Phillies organization.

When he took over the Indians in 1952, Philadelphia provided several prospects, including Lewis and Clark High School pals Jack Spring and Ed Bouchee, both bound for the majors. Spokane won 91 games but finished second.

Prospects dominated the 1953 team, which benefited from the WIL’s first split season. Sixth in the first half, they went 46-32 in the second and beat Salem in the playoffs.

Spring led the pitchers with a 14-9 record. Stan Palys (.331, 35 doubles, 22 homers), Jimmy Command (.321, 102 RBI) and PCL castoff Will Hafey (.310, 25 HR, 110 RBIs) headed the offense.

Osborn became pitching coach for Pittsburgh’s 1971 World Series winners.

Pacific Coast League

By the time the National League came west in 1958, the WIL had become the Northwest League. When Brooklyn supplanted the Coast League’s Los Angeles franchise, the Triple-A club was awarded to Spokane.

The Dodgers staffed this city’s first PCL entry with has-beens and not many prospects. Nevertheless, fans jammed the stands. The 1959 club improved, but the news was that it launched fleet-footed shortstop Maury Wills, a newly minted switch-hitter, toward the 1962 National League MVP award and a storied career.

The 1960 Indians (92-61), loaded with prospects and skilled veterans, fielded one of the dominant offensive teams in league history. They won the pennant by 11½ games. Most squad members played in the majors, several as regulars. Center fielder Willie Davis was the MVP. Statuesque slugger Frank Howard, who finished 1959 with Spokane, had been Minor League Player of the Year. This year, recalled in May, he became N.L. Rookie of the Year.

Davis led the PCL in six categories. He, Howard and fellow outfielder Ron Fairly, who hit 27 home runs, went on to long major-league careers. The Indians were named Inland Empire Team of the Year.

Debate if you will whether the 1970 Indians were one of the greatest all-time minor-league teams. There is no doubt, however, that few teams have produced so many good major-league players.

Nineteen of the 29 men who suited up had at least a cup of coffee. Five collected more than 1,000 hits. Three pitchers won more than 100 games. Bobby Valentine won the batting title, scored 122 runs and was the MVP. Later, his career compromised by injuries, he managed with distinction in the U.S. and Japan. The manager, Tommy Lasorda, eventually skipper of the Dodgers, went to the Hall of Fame.

Spokane breezed to the PCL’s Northern Division title with a 94-52 record. Hawaii, the Southern Division winner, did even better at 98-48. But the playoffs told a different story.

In Spokane, Steve Garvey batted the Indians to a Game 1 victory. Bill Buckner had four hits as the Indians scored in every inning of the second. And when the series shifted to Honolulu, righthander Doyle Alexander shut out the Islanders, 5-0. Then, on the first pitch of Game 4, Hawaii’s Greg Washburn fired a fastball off Valentine’s left cheekbone. Marv Galliher replaced Valentine with four hits and six RBI. The Indians completed the sweep, 16-2.

After the 1971 Indians sent several more players to the bigs, the Dodgers, appeasing their discontented Double-A affiliate, transplanted the Triple-A franchise to Albuquerque. As a result, the 1973 Indians had a new owner, Bill Cutler. The former American League executive moved Portland’s PCL team here and signed a working agreement with the Texas Rangers.

Fans, with Del Wilbur, a cheery former catcher, at the helm, were rewarded with two straight title winners, both named Inland Empire Professional Team of the Year.

The 1973 Indians allowed 38 more runs than they scored. But they batted .288. The main attraction was infielder Bill Madlock, who hit .338 as a prelude to four National League batting titles. After Spokane swept two mid-July twibills, the Indians coasted to the Western Division title. Then they polished off Tucson in the best-of-five playoffs.

In 1974, Wilbur returned with an even better club. It had twice as much power, scored more runs, gave up fewer and had 14 familiar faces. The main addition, outfielder Tom Robson, was a big guy who could hack.

The Indians won 20 of their first 25 games. Tacoma moved ahead by a percentage point when Spokane lost six of eight with three weeks to go. But Steve Dunning halted the skid with a 10-strikeout no-hitter, and the Indians beat the Twins by 21/2 games.

In the playoffs, against Alburquerque, Spokane won the first two with ninth-inning rallies. In Game 3, Robson’s 425-foot home run led to a 4-2 Indians victory.

After batting .322 with 41 homers and 131 RBIs, records for Spokane’s PCL years, Robson was an easy choice as MVP and Inland Empire Professional Athlete of the Year. No Indians player has ever hit more home runs.

In 1982, affiliated with the California Angels, Spokane won the Northern Division title but lost to Albuquerque in the playoffs. Indians owners, after repeated denials, moved the franchise to Las Vegas, ending the city’s Triple-A history. With no options, Spokane returned to Class-A ball for the first time since 1956.

Northwest League

Shorter seasons that begin in June mean better weather. During Spokane’s absence from the lower minors, in-game entertainment had become the norm. Post-game fireworks began to multiply. Mascots sprouted like weeds. Fans responded.

The Indians affiliated with the San Diego Padres, which provided only a trio of future major-leaguer regulars in their first three seasons, pitcher Mitch Williams (1983), catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. (1984), and infielder Joey Cora (1985).

Months before the 1986 season, Southern California real estate investor Bobby Brett and his brothers, including George, the Hall of Fame third baseman, bought Spokane’s debt-ridden ballclub. They converted it into a highly successful organization with record-setting attendance that’s now in its fourth decade.

Fortunes improved. The entire 1987 infield could hit. Third baseman Dave Hollins and 17-year-old shortstop Jose Valentin were definite prospects. First baseman Steve Hendricks, a low draft pick, hit .356 to win the batting title and became the MVP. Manager Rob Picciolo, a former big-league infielder, led the Indians to a 54-22 record, the best percentage in city’s short-season history. Spokane beat Everett in the playoffs.

The 1988 Indians won eight of their last nine games to tie Everett in the West and bagged the playoff spot by outscoring the Giants during the season. Southern Oregon and Spokane exchanged shutouts then met here for the title. With the Indians trailing 2-1, singles by Mike Humphreys and John Kuehl tied the score. An intentional walk filled the bases and, in a daring move, Humphreys stole home. Chris Haslock pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, and the Indians were repeat champions.

In 1989, the Indians led the Northern Division with a 41-34 record, while Southern Oregon and the Southern Division dominated the league. But Spokane had Dave Staton. The slugger from Cal State Fullerton became the Northwest League’s first and only Triple Crown winner, batting .362 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs. Pitcher Rick Davis (9-2, 1.35) and center fielder Darrell Sherman, who played pro ball for 19 years, headed the supporting cast.

After the Indians lost the playoff opener in 11 innings, they won the next two and claimed a third straight title. Rookie manager Bruce Bochy, who had been San Diego’s backup catcher, now seems headed for the Hall of Fame. His major-league teams have won four World Series.

Matt Mieske made most of the news in 1990, when Spokane won the championship for a record-setting fourth straight time. An Academic All-American at Western Michigan University, Mieske played as if he belonged in a better league. Like Staton, he was a dominant MVP. First baseman Jay Gainer won the batting title with a .356 average. But Mieske, who went on to play eight years in the big leagues, hit .340, with 12 homers, 62 RBIs and 26 steals.

Spokane (49-27) and Boise (53-23) each won their division by 13 games. Gainer’s 400-foot, 11th-inning homer gave Spokane a 7-5 victory as the playoffs opened. After Boise ace Hilly Hathaway struck out 17 to win Game 2, 4-0, four walks and two squeeze bunts gave the Indians three seventh inning runs, a 4-2 decision, and another pennant.

Even in Class-A ball, local fans have seen some fine hitters. In 1999, with the Indians now affiliated with the Kansas City Royals, Ken Harvey, the sweet-swinging NCAA batting champ at Nebraska, led the league with a near-record .397 average. Although it took the Indians a month to reach .500, they made it with the help of a 12-game winning streak. Harvey didn’t do it alone. Mark Ellis (.325) was on his way to a good run as Oakland’s second baseman. The Indians backed the league’s best pitching and defense by scoring six-plus runs per game.

They made quick work of Portland in the playoffs. Harvey’s eighth-inning grand slam gave the Indians a 5-1 victory in Game 1. They won the second, 14-3, and the third, 7-3, becoming the first Spokane team to sweep.

Harvey showed promise with the Royals. But back problems shortened his career.

After a horrid 2001 (22-54) and 29 wins in 2002, the Indians, newly aligned with the Texas Rangers, rebounded sharply. In 2003, they had the NWL’s best record (50-26) to go with the best hitting, best pitching, and best defense.

Spokane swept Salem-Keizer in the best-of-five playoffs. Jeremy Cleveland hit a two-run homer, and Kevin Richardson had a three-run shot in the 10-0 opener. After the Indians won Game 2, 6-4, in 10 innings, infielder Ian Kinsler, a future Hall of Fame candidate, scored four times to end the title run with an 11-4 victory. Teammate Dane Bubela (.323) won the batting title, beating Cleveland by a point.

The 2005 Spokane Indians won the pennant with a losing record.

Manager Greg Riddoch, a vaunted minor-league skipper who’d done well in a fling with the Padres, was no stranger. He’d managed Eugene for seven seasons.

Despite John Mayberry Jr. and Wally Backman Jr., sons of good major-league players, the Indians were less than robust on offense. Nonetheless, they won the East Division with a 37-39 record and defeated Vancouver (46-40) three games to two in the playoffs. They took the title game, 7-3, as DH Jon Higashi, batting ninth, went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs. It was his last professional game.

Less than flashy in the low-wattage 2008 season, Spokane managed a 51-25 record that produced its fourth pennant in nine years. It was the first highlight of manager Tim Hulett’s tenure. The former major-league infielder would break Harry Ostdiek’s century-old record by managing the Indians for 758 games.

Spokane finished eight games ahead of Boise in the East Division. Salem-Keizer’ won a tiebreaker with Eugene in the West, and the Volcanoes took the opener. The Indians, a perfect 8-for-8 in the playoffs answered with three straight wins, all by one run. Right fielder Eric Fry homered in each game and finished with 10 RBIs.

Six pitchers reached the major leagues. Lefty starter Martin Perez remains active with San Diego.

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