Portland Pickles Win First West Coast League Championship

Aug. 16, 2024 — It’s a clear summer night in Portland, and over four thousand avid fans are packed into a sold out Walker Stadium to watch the West Coast League (WCL) Championship game between the Portland Pickles and the Wenatchee AppleSox. The final started off with both teams scoring early, despite each team having All-Star pitchers. Coming out of the first three innings, the Pickles led 4-3. Despite the quick start, the game quieted down up until the eighth inning, with the only scoring coming in the sixth, when Wenatchee’s Kanoa Morisaki singled home Cam Hoiland to tie the game at 4-4. The Applesox scored again from Max Hartman’s run off of James Castagnola’s double in the top of the ninth. The Pickles managed to escape into the top of the inning only down 5-4, giving them a fighting chance to win their first ever WCL title.

The bottom of the ninth did not start out in the Pickles’ favor, with leadoff batter Aaron Barber striking out. The Pickles were able to persevere towards the end of the inning, with Tanner Griffith reaching first base, with two outs on the board. The Pickles needed something special. Alex Gouveia hit the second to last ball of the game with a single, putting players on first and second, while also mounting pressure on the AppleSox. While Pickles batter Riley McCarthy had just been pitched a second ball, a perfectly timed double steal by Griffith and Gouveia put the Pickles just one base away from equalizing the score. McCarthy went on to earn a walk, loading the bases with two outs, and mounting even more pressure. The Pickles then sent Diego Castellanos to bat. One ball. Then two. Strike one was followed by another ball. The Pickles were one mispitch away from tying it up. And they got it. Ball four prompted a walk and the Pickles tied the game at 5-5. Roars erupted around Walker Stadium, as thousands of Pickles fans raised their chairs above their heads in celebration, following a Pickles team tradition. 

Now at 5-5, the Pickles had a serious chance to win. And win they did. Off of his first pitch, Pickles batter Conner Stewart dinked a ground ball towards third base. The AppleSox’s third baseman nor their shortstop could field the ball cleanly, and Griffith crossed home plate, winning the Pickles their first WCL right in front of their home fans. “It was awesome to watch the game and to just feel the moment,” said Erik Hughes, a fan engagement specialist for the Pickles. Within seconds of scoring the final run, Pickles fans began pouring onto the field to celebrate with their team, capping off one of the most exciting finals in the league’s 20 year history.

The celebrations on and off the field ended up delaying the trophy presentation. “When I went on the field after the game with the trophy, I didn’t expect to be accompanied by thousands of Pickles fans,” remembered Rob Neyer, a veteran sports journalist and commissioner of the WCL. In Neyer’s tenure as commissioner, all five championship trophies had gone to the Corvallis Knights, who were champions for the last seven years.

The win is setting up the Pickles for success in the long run. All of the teams in the league consist of college players, away from their schools for the summer. College coaches send their players to WCL teams for them to get game time and more coaching in the off season. Winning championships attracts college coaches to send their players to the successful WCL program, and the data backs this up. Teams that consist of college players have a wildly different roster every year, since the players are aging out of their college programs, and in turn, their WCL teams, like the Pickles. Despite this, teams are able to string together many championship wins in a row, like the Corvallis Knights, who won seven championships in a row, from 2015 to 2023, or the AppleSox, who won four championships from 2005 to 2010. 15 of the 19 WCL championships are held by the Knights or the AppleSox. 

However, the Pickles already have a good recruiting program, judging by their ability to consistently make the playoffs. “The Pickles have already attracted really good players. Not to say that they can’t attract more talent than they already have, but that’s a pretty high bar to clear,” Neyer explained.

The Pickles’ successful season is also growing the fanbase inside Portland. “We were busier the later we got into the season, and the more games the Pickles were winning,” observed Andrew Metz, a concessions worker for the Pickles. “I think the fan support is amazing, and it really helps [the Pickles] win games.” The Pickles even managed to sell out a few regular season games, along with winning the championship game.

The Pickles, and Portland baseball iin general has come a long way. In 2007, baseball was on its way out of Portland. The city’s baseball team at the time, the Portland Beavers, had just been bought and their stadium was being turned into Providence Park, where the Portland Timbers and Thorns now play. Despite this, baseball returned to Portland nine years later when the Pickles played their inaugural game at Walker Stadium in 2016, claiming it as their home field.

Despite the deep history about baseball in Portland, the Pickles’ championship sends an important message about the high quality of baseball in Portland. For its entire lifetime, the team has gone far beyond the boundaries of just baseball, participating in many community events and outreach programs, which has become a key part of the Pickles brand in the last few years. Community service and outreach programs have grown to play a larger role in defining what the Pickles organization is. Hughes thinks that the big win this season speaks to the high level of baseball that the Pickles play and how much class the team has. “I think [the championship] will show fans that we’re not just a team that’s doing stuff to be funny, but we’re also quality baseball that you can come enjoy in the summer,” he said.

Whether you’re an avid baseball fan, or love the many community events hosted by the Pickles, one thing is for sure; the team does a great job of balancing the fun community programs with quality baseball. Every week from the end of May into August, fans pack into Walker Stadium to raise their chairs, cheer on their team, and enjoy America’s pastime. Coming off of the championship win, Hughes believes that, “It’s the best time to be a Pickle.”