Vancouver Canadians (PCL)

History

The Vancouver Canadians joined the Pacific Coast League as a Triple-A team in 1978, filling a gap in the city’s baseball scene that had existed since the Vancouver Mounties left in 1969. Harry Ornest secured the franchise rights, and the club began play as an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Their first season ended with a 74–65 record, two and a half games behind the Portland Beavers and out of the playoffs. The next year, the Canadians switched to the Milwaukee Brewers and won the North Division with a 79–68 mark, but lost to the Hawaii Islanders in three games in the division series. A return to the postseason in 1980 ended the same way, with another loss to Hawaii. Vancouver claimed its first PCL championship in 1985, sweeping the Calgary Cannons and then the Phoenix Giants. The following season, they posted the league’s best record at 85–53, beat the Tacoma Tigers for the division title, but fell to the Las Vegas Stars in five games in the finals. After a one-year affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1987, the Canadians signed with the Chicago White Sox. In 1988, they swept Portland in the division series but lost the championship to Las Vegas in five games. The 1989 season saw them win the North Division over Calgary and defeat the Albuquerque Dukes for another league title. In 1992, Vancouver won its fifth division crown by outlasting Portland, but lost the championship series to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in five games. The White Sox then moved their Triple-A affiliation to Nashville.