Tri-City Dust Devils

The Tri-City Dust Devils are a minor league baseball club based in Pasco, Washington. They compete in the Northwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Their home field is Gesa Stadium, which first opened in 1995 and seats 3,654 spectators.

The franchise originated in Portland, where the Rockies had played since 1995. In 1999, Portland Family Entertainment acquired the Albuquerque Dukes and planned to move that AAA team to Portland for the 2000 season. On July 10, longtime owner Jack Cain sold the Rockies franchise to the same group. Forced out of Portland, the club relocated up the Columbia River to the Tri-Cities area.

Upon arriving, the team chose the nickname Dust Devils. Vice president and general manager Derrel Ebert explained the name reflects the region’s agriculture, dry soil, and frequent winds that create small dust whirlwinds. In their first season, the Dust Devils went 39–36, finishing second in the north division. They won their first division title in 2007 despite a losing record, then lost the championship series to Salem-Keizer in four games.

Tri-City ended its long affiliation with the Colorado Rockies in 2015, signing a player development contract with the San Diego Padres. The 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That winter, as part of minor league baseball’s reorganization, the Dust Devils were invited to become the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels and were placed in the new High-A West league. In 2022, that circuit reclaimed its historical name, the Northwest League.

The front office is led by president Brent Miles and vice president/general manager Derrel Ebert. Before Ebert took over in September 2009, Monica Ortega served as GM from 2008 to 2009, the only female general manager in the Northwest League. The principal owner is Hall of Famer George Brett, with Miles as a minority owner.

The Tri-Cities area—including Kennewick and Richland along with Pasco—has hosted several previous Northwest League and Western International League teams. The Tri-City Braves played in the WIL from 1950 to 1955, then became a charter member of the new Northwest League. The region fielded teams continuously through 1974 under various names: Braves (1955–1960, 1962), Angels (1961, 1963–64), Atoms (1965–68), A’s (1969), Padres (1970–72), Triplets (1973), and Ports (1974). The 1974 Ports were an independent team that went 27–57 and drew only 21,611 fans for the season; they were managed by owner Carl W. Thompson, Sr. before folding.

From 1950 through 1974, home games were played at Sanders-Jacobs Field in Kennewick, at the northeast corner of Clearwater Avenue and Neel Street. The field faced northeast and was named for Harry Sanders, a Connell farmer, and Tom Jacobs, a former manager and general manager of the Atoms who died in 1968 at age 64. The ballpark was demolished in the mid-1970s, shortly after the Ports folded.

The Tri-Cities went without baseball until 1983, when the Tri-Cities Triplets (a nod to the 1973 name) formed, lasting only until 1986. The Triplets had moved from Walla Walla and were a Texas Rangers affiliate for two years, then independent for two more. They played at Richland High School’s baseball field, next to the Bomber Bowl football stadium. The Brett brothers bought the team in February 1986, then sold it that autumn to Diamond Sports, led by general manager Mal Fichman. The Triplets relocated to southwestern Idaho for 1987 and became the Boise Hawks.

The Tri-Cities also hosted the Tri-City Posse of the independent Western Baseball League from 1995 to 2000. The Posse won the league title in 1999 but folded after the 2000 season.

The Dust Devils initially planned to keep purple as a team color from their Rockies affiliation, but instead adopted navy and khaki. The colors were inspired by the local landscape: the big blue sky, the dark blue Columbia River, and the brown, khaki-colored hills.

Gesa Stadium opened in 1995 as Tri-City Stadium. When the Dust Devils arrived in 2001, it was renamed Dust Devil Stadium before later becoming Gesa Stadium. Its capacity is 3,654.

Notable alumni include Andy Ashby (2x MLB All-Star), Clint Barmes, Charlie Blackmon (3x MLB All-Star, 2017 NL batting champion), Shawn Chacon (MLB All-Star), Aaron Cook (MLB All-Star), Craig Counsell, Gary Disarcina (MLB All-Star), Damion Easley (MLB All-Star), Jim Edmonds (4x MLB All-Star), Chone Figgins (MLB All-Star), and Ty France (MLB All-Star).