Minor league baseball team
El Paso Chihuahuas
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Team logo
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Cap insignia
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Class
| Triple-A
(2014?present)
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League
| Pacific Coast League
(2014?present)
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Division
| East Division
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Team
| San Diego Padres
(2014?present)
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League titles
(1)
| 2016
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Conference titles
(2)
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Division titles
(5)
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Name
| El Paso Chihuahuas (2014?present)
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Colors
| Black, red, tan, white
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Mascot
| Chico
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Ballpark
| Southwest University Park
(2014?present)
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Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
| MountainStar Sports
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General manager
| Brad Taylor
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Manager
| Pete Zamora
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The
El Paso Chihuahuas
are a
Minor League Baseball
team of the
Pacific Coast League
(PCL) and the
Triple-A
affiliate of the
San Diego Padres
. They are located in
El Paso, Texas
, and play their home games at
Southwest University Park
, which opened in 2014. The Chihuahuas moved to El Paso from
Tucson, Arizona
, where they were known as the
Tucson Padres
.
[1]
They played in the PCL until the 2021 restructuring of the minor leagues when they shifted to the Triple-A West, but this league was renamed the PCL in 2022. The Chihuahuas won the
PCL championship
in 2016.
History
[
edit
]
Previous teams
[
edit
]
The Chihuahuas' heritage can be traced back to the establishment of the original
Los Angeles Angels
in 1903. These Angels (the namesake of the current
Los Angeles Angels
) were one of the eight "core teams" of the PCL during its heyday in the 1950s. In 1957, the team was sold to
Brooklyn Dodgers
owner
Walter O'Malley
as a harbinger of the
Dodgers' move to Los Angeles
the following year.
For 1958, the Angels moved to
Spokane, Washington
, and became the (original)
Spokane Indians
. In 1972, the team moved again, this time to
Albuquerque, New Mexico
. As the
Albuquerque Dukes
, many of the team's star players and manager
Tommy Lasorda
formed the core of a Dodgers franchise that won the
1977
,
1978
, and
1981
pennants and
1981 World Series
title.
After nearly two decades, the Dukes moved to
Portland, Oregon
, and became the latest version of the
Portland Beavers
in 2001. That franchise lasted 10 seasons until the inability to get a
new ballpark
to replace what is now
Providence Park
(renovated to accommodate the
Portland Timbers
of
Major League Soccer
) led to a relocation. At first, the plan was to move to
Escondido, California
, about 40 miles (64 km) north of
San Diego
, as a club owned by the
San Diego Padres
. But once again, a new ballpark proved elusive, and the team landed in
Tucson, Arizona
, as the
Tucson Padres
.
Coming to El Paso
[
edit
]
On July 30, 2012, the Pacific Coast League gave preliminary approval to MountainStar Sports Group to buy the Padres, with the intent to relocate the franchise to El Paso for the 2014 season. The deal was approved on September 17, 2012, pending approval for a ballpark by the city council. Ballpark approval was made on September 18, with the mayor deciding not to veto the deal.
[2]
The final sale of the Padres to MountainStar Sports was approved on September 26, 2012.
[3]
A name-the-team contest was held to decide the team's nickname. Finalists were Aardvarks, Buckaroos, Chihuahuas, Desert Gators, and Sun Dogs. The winning name was submitted by Shae Vierra. On October 22, 2013, the Chihuahuas name, logo and colors were announced.
[1]
The name is a reference to the
Chihuahuan Desert
encompassing the area. The team logo is a growling
chihuahua dog
.
Due to construction delays at the site of
Southwest University Park
, the Chihuahuas played their first 24 games of the 2014 season on the road, including a four-game series against the
Reno Aces
that was moved from El Paso to Tucson. The home opener finally took place on April 28, a 2?1 loss to the
Fresno Grizzlies
.
[4]
On September 17, 2016, the Chihuahuas plated a run in the 11th inning to defeat the
Oklahoma City Dodgers
4?3 to claim the El Paso's first ever PCL championship in just the franchise's third year of existence.
In conjunction with
Major League Baseball
's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Chihuahuas were organized into the
Triple-A West
.
[5]
El Paso ended the season in fifth place in the Eastern Division with a 46?74 record.
[6]
No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner.
[7]
However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage.
[7]
El Paso finished the tournament tied for 13th place with a 5?5 record.
[8]
In 2022, the Triple-A West became known as the Pacific Coast League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.
[9]
Season-by-season records
[
edit
]
Notable players
[
edit
]
Roster
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Hill, Benjamin (October 22, 2013).
"Chihuahuas rule the day in El Paso"
. MiLB.com
. Retrieved
October 22,
2013
.
- ^
"Mayor decides against veto, baseball in downtown by 2014"
Archived
2013-01-27 at
archive.today
. KVIA. Retrieved 09-20-2012.
- ^
MountainStar Sports buys Tucson Padres
- ^
El Paso Chihuahuas 2014 schedule
. Retrieved 04-18-2014
- ^
Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021).
"MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues"
.
Major League Baseball
. Retrieved
February 12,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"2021 Triple-A West Standings"
.
Minor League Baseball
. Retrieved
October 5,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"MiLB Announces 'Triple-A Final Stretch' for 2021"
.
Minor League Baseball
. July 14, 2021
. Retrieved
July 16,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"2021 Triple-A Final Stretch Standings"
.
Minor League Baseball
. Retrieved
October 5,
2021
.
- ^
"Historical League Names to Return in 2022"
.
Minor League Baseball
. March 16, 2022
. Retrieved
March 16,
2022
.
- ^
"2014 Pacific Coast League"
.
Baseball-Reference
. Sports Reference
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
"2015 Pacific Coast League"
.
Baseball-Reference
. Sports Reference
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
"El Paso vs. Scranton/WB - September 20, 2016"
.
Minor League Baseball
. September 20, 2016
. Retrieved
September 20,
2016
.
- ^
"2016 Pacific Coast League"
.
Baseball-Reference
. Sports Reference
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
"2017 Pacific Coast League"
.
Baseball-Reference
. Sports Reference
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
"2018 Pacific Coast League"
.
Baseball-Reference
. Sports Reference
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
"2019 Pacific Coast League"
.
Baseball-Reference
. Sports Reference
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
"2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved"
.
Minor League Baseball
. June 30, 2020
. Retrieved
July 1,
2020
.
- ^
"Chihuahuas Announce 2020 Home Season Schedule"
.
El Paso Chihuahuas
. Minor League Baseball. October 21, 2019
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
Heneghan, Kelsie (October 1, 2022).
"Hager's Hometown Heroics Vault Aces to Crown"
.
Minor League Baseball
. Retrieved
October 1,
2022
.
- ^
"2022 Pacific Coast League"
.
Baseball-Reference
. Sports Reference
. Retrieved
September 29,
2022
.
- ^
"2023 Pacific Coast League"
.
Baseball-Reference
. Sports Reference. Archived from
the original
on September 28, 2023
. Retrieved
September 28,
2023
.
External links
[
edit
]
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