Spokane Indians
High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
The Spokane Indians are a High-A Minor League Baseball team based in Spokane Valley, Washington, just east of Spokane. They compete in the Northwest League as an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies and play at Avista Stadium, a ballpark that first opened in 1958 with a capacity of 6,752. The franchise has claimed 12 league championships—four in the Pacific Coast League and nine in the Northwest League—and the Spokane area has hosted minor league baseball for more than a century, with roots stretching back to the 1890s.
Spokane’s minor league history began in 1890, when a team in the Pacific Northwest League won the pennant in its debut season. The Indians nickname was adopted in 1903, when the city joined the Pacific National League, a top-tier minor league equivalent to today’s Triple-A. That stint lasted only two years before the team dropped to the Class B Northwestern League, which folded during World War I. In 1937, Spokane became a charter member of the Class B Western International League, playing at Ferris Field until the team disbanded midseason in 1954. The city then joined the newly formed Northwest League in 1955, but that club folded after two seasons, leaving Spokane without baseball in 1957.
In 1946, the Western International League Indians suffered the deadliest transit accident in American professional sports history. On June 24, the team bus was heading west to Bremerton to play the Bluejackets. On a rain-slicked stretch of Snoqualmie Pass Highway, the driver swerved to avoid an oncoming car. The bus plunged down an embankment and burst into flames.
Nine men died—six instantly—and seven were injured, many with burns. The dead included catcher-manager Mel Cole, pitchers Bob Kinnaman and George Lyden, catcher Chris Hartje, infielders Fred Martinez, Vic Picetti, and George Risk, and outfielders Bob James and Bob Paterson. Infielder Ben Geraghty, despite a severe head wound, climbed back up the mountainside to signal for help. Injured survivors included pitchers Pete Barisoff, Gus Hallbourg, and Dick Powers, catcher Irv Konopka, outfielder Levi McCormack, and bus driver Glen Berg.
One player, future major leaguer Jack “Lucky” Lohrke, missed the crash because his contract was sold that day to the San Diego Padres; he left the bus during a lunch stop in Ellensburg shortly before the accident. Two pitchers, Milt Cadinha and Joe Faria, were traveling by car and were not on the bus. The Indians finished the season with players loaned from other teams, placing seventh. A charity, the Spokane Baseball Benefit Association, raised $114,800 for survivors and victims’ families. The crash later inspired Beth Bollinger’s novel Until the End of the Ninth.
From 1958 to 1971, the Indians were a Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning league titles in 1960 and 1970. The 1970 team, managed by Tommy Lasorda, won 94 games and swept Hawaii in the playoffs, featuring future stars like Bill Buckner, Steve Garvey, Bobby Valentine, Tom Paciorek, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Doyle Alexander. After the 1971 season, the club moved to Albuquerque and became the Dukes. Spokane returned to the Northwest League in 1972 for one season as a Dodger affiliate, then a new PCL franchise arrived in 1973 from Portland, becoming a Texas Rangers affiliate.
That 1973 team, with Bill Madlock and Lenny Randle, won the west division by 11 games and swept Tucson in the championship series. The 1974 team repeated as champions, sweeping Albuquerque. The Indians’ second Triple-A stint lasted through 1982, with affiliations shifting to the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, and California Angels. In 1982, they won a division crown, beat Tacoma in the first round, but lost to Albuquerque in the finals.
After that season, the team moved to Las Vegas and became the Stars. The team’s general manager during this period was Larry Koentopp, a former Gonzaga coach and athletic director who led a local ownership group that bought the team after the 1978 season for $259,000.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1890
- City
- Spokane, Washington
- Class level
- High-A (2021–present)
- Current league
- Northwest League (1983–present)
- Majorleague
- Colorado Rockies (2021–present)
- Nickname
- Spokane Indians (1903–1920, 1940–present)
- Mascots
- Otto
- Doris the Spokanasaurus
- Recycle Man
- Ribby the Redband Trout
- Ballpark
- Avista Stadium (1958–present)
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Infielder Jack 'Lucky' Lohrke missed the 1946 bus crash because his contract was sold and he left the bus during a lunch stop.
- The franchise was recognized with the Minor League Baseball Organization of the Year Award in 2021.
History
Spokane's minor league history dates to 1890, when it fielded a team in the Pacific Northwest League. The Spokane Club won the Northwest League pennant in its first season. The nickname Indians dates to 1903, when Spokane joined the Pacific National League. In 1946, the Western International League Indians were victims of the worst transit accident in the history of American professional sport.
On June 24, the team bus crashed on Snoqualmie Pass Highway. Nine men died—six of them instantly—and seven were injured. The dead included catcher/manager Mel Cole (age 32), pitchers Bob Kinnaman (28) and George Lyden (23), catcher Chris Hartje (31), infielders Fred Martinez (24), Vic Picetti (18) and George Risk (25), and outfielders Bob James (25) and Bob Paterson (23). Despite a severe head wound, infielder Ben Geraghty struggled back up the mountainside to signal for help.
One player, Jack "Lucky" Lohrke, missed the tragedy because his contract was sold to the PCL San Diego Padres on June 24 and he departed the bus during a late lunch stop in Ellensburg. The Indians, relying on players loaned from other teams, finished the season in seventh place. A special charity, the Spokane Baseball Benefit Association, donated $114,800 to the injured survivors and dependents of the nine players who died. When the Los Angeles Dodgers moved to the west coast in 1958, they moved their PCL affiliate north to Spokane.
While with the Dodgers for 14 seasons, the Indians won league titles in 1960 and 1970. The 1970 Indians, managed by Tommy Lasorda, won 94 of 146 games in the regular season to win the northern division by 26 games, then swept the Hawaii Islanders in four games in the PCL playoffs. The team included Bill Buckner, Steve Garvey, Bobby Valentine (PCL MVP), Tom Paciorek, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Doyle Alexander. Following the 1971 season, the club moved to New Mexico and became the Albuquerque Dukes.
Spokane returned to the NWL in 1972 as a Dodger affiliate for one season, as a new PCL franchise arrived in 1973 from Portland, becoming the affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The 1973 team, which included Bill Madlock and Lenny Randle, won the west division by eleven games and swept Tucson in three games in the championship series. The following year's club successfully defended the title with another three-game sweep over Albuquerque. The Indians' second stint in Triple-A lasted ten seasons and included affiliations with the Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers in 1976, Seattle Mariners in 1979, and California Angels in 1982.
A new NWL franchise was awarded to Spokane for the 1983 season and the Indians have won eight league titles; the first four were consecutive, from 1987 through 1990. The Indians won their seventh NWL championship in 2005, despite a 37–39 record during the regular season. In 2008, the Indians captured their eighth league title with a four-game series victory over the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. In conjunction with MLB's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Indians were organized into the High-A West.
They qualified for the playoffs with a 67–49 record, but were defeated by the Eugene Emeralds, 3–1, in the championship series. The franchise was recognized with the Minor League Baseball Organization of the Year Award. The High-A West was rebranded back to the Northwest League in March 2022.
Logos and uniforms
The team uses red, navy blue, light blue, and beige. In 2006, a redesign of the logo and uniforms was started to remove potentially offensive American Indian imagery. The Spokane Nation then reached out, offering their official backing and granting permission for respectful imagery that honors the team's history and their new bond. This partnership led to a secondary logo featuring the Salish language.
Logo and uniforms
The team's colors are red, navy blue, light blue, and beige. In the 2006 offseason, the Indians began a pr...
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