Boise Irrigators
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1912 |
| Inaugural season | 1912 |
| Ceased | 1915 |
| President |
W. N. Sweet (1912–13) R. W. Ritner (1914) |
| No. of teams | 4–6 |
| Country | United States (Oregon, Idaho, and Washington ) |
| Last champion(s) |
Pendleton Buckaroos (1912, 1914) Walla Walla Bears (19131) Boise Irrigators (19132) |
The Western Tri-State League was a professional baseball league, which was formed in 1912, and disbanded in 1914. It was a Class D league. Over its three-year existence, the league featured six teams from six different cities in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. Two teams, the Pendleton Buckaroos, and the Walla Walla Bears, spent all three seasons in the league. The Pendleton Buckaroos won two league championships, the first coming in 1912, and the other in 1914. The Walla Walla Bears won the first-half league championship in 1913, while the Boise Irrigators were the second half champions. In 1913, the league opened with six teams, two more than the previous year. However, early into the league, two teams were dropped due to financial strains. In 1915, the league folded. Initially, it was attributed to financial difficulties. However, it was later said to be issues with the relations of team owners.
In 1912, the Western Tri-State League was recognized by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, and classified as a Class D league. The league president was W. N. Sweet. The league opened with four teams: the Boise Irrigators, who represented Boise, Idaho; the La Grande Pippins, who represented La Grande, Oregon; the Pendleton Buckaroos, who represented Pendleton, Oregon; and the Walla Walla Bears, who represented Walla Walla, Washington. At the end of the 1912 season, the Pendleton Buckaroos won the league championship with a .622 winning percentage. Four players in the Western Tri-State League that season would eventually go on to play in Major League Baseball. Those players were Bob Smith, and Carl Mays of the Boise Irrigators; and Bob Jones, and Paul Strand of the Walla Walla Bears.
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