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Fresno Grizzlies

Fresno Grizzlies
Founded in 1998
Fresno, California
FresnoGrizzliesLogo2008.PNG FresnoGrizzliesLogoCap2008.PNG
Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current Triple-A (1998–present)
Minor league affiliations
League Pacific Coast League (1998–present)
Conference Pacific Conference
Division Northern Division
Major league affiliations
Current Houston Astros (2015–present)
Previous San Francisco Giants (1998–2014)
Milwaukee Brewers (1997)
Houston Astros (1980–1997)
Texas Rangers (1977–1979)
Oakland Athletics (1973–1976)
Chicago White Sox (1969–1972)
Minor league titles
Class titles (1) 2015
League titles (1) 2015
Conference titles (1) 2015
Division titles (2)
  • 1998
  • 2015
Team data
Nickname Fresno Grizzlies (1998–present)
Previous names
Tucson Toros (1969–1997)
Colors Black, orange, white
              
Mascot Parker T. Bear
Ballpark Chukchansi Park (2002–present)
Previous parks
Pete Beiden Field (1998–2001)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Fresno Baseball, LLC
Manager Tony DeFrancesco
General Manager Derek Franks

The Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL), is the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park (capacity 12,500), located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002. The Fresno Grizzlies' colors are black and orange. All games are broadcast on KYNO, with Doug Greenwald handling the play-by-play.

Professional baseball first came to Fresno in 1898 when it had a team in the original California League. The team dropped out of the league after that year, but returned in 1905. In 1906, the Tacoma Tigers of the Pacific Coast League moved to Fresno, playing as the Fresno Raisin Eaters for one season before moving to Sacramento for the 1907 season. In the intervening years before the arrival of the Grizzlies, Fresno fielded teams in the California State League in 1910 and 1913, and in the current California League from 1941 through 1988, including the Fresno Cardinals (1941–1956), Fresno Sun Sox (1957), Fresno Giants (1958–1987), and Fresno Suns (1988).

When Major League Baseball awarded an expansion team (the Arizona Diamondbacks) to Phoenix, Arizona, that would begin playing in 1998, the Phoenix Firebirds of the Pacific Coast League (the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate) were forced to move. The Firebirds moved to Tucson, Arizona and changed their name to the Tucson Sidewinders while changing their affiliation to the Diamondbacks. That prompted Tucson Toros to move to Fresno, giving Fresno its first PCL team since 1906. The Toros were renamed the Grizzlies and became the Giants' new Triple-A affiliate.


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Wikipedia

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