Fresno Grizzlies

History

Professional baseball first came to Fresno in 1898 when it had a team in the original California League. The team dropped out 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 1907. Fresno fielded teams in the California State League in 1910 and 1913, then was a mainstay in the current California League from 1941 through 1988 as the Cardinals (1941–1956), Sun Sox (1957), Giants (1958–1987), and Suns (1988).

San Francisco Giants (1998–2014)

When MLB awarded an expansion team to Phoenix, the Phoenix Firebirds were forced to move; they became the Tucson Sidewinders, prompting the Tucson Toros to relocate to Fresno. The Toros were renamed the Grizzlies and became the San Francisco Giants' new Triple-A affiliate. From 1998 through 2001, the Grizzlies played at Pete Beiden Field at California State University, Fresno, before moving to Chukchansi Park. The team hosted promotions such as K-Fed Night and Second Chance Night in 2006; The Price Is Right Night in 2007; and Totally Rad 80s Night featuring The Karate Kid star Billy Zabka in May 2008.

Parker, the Grizzlies mascot, was named Best Mascot of 2007 by GameOps. The Grizzlies won the Minor League Baseball Promotion of the Year award in 2008 for their 'Mascot Showdown' featuring Parker and the Phillie Phanatic. The team's opening day catcher in 2010, Buster Posey, would be the San Francisco Giants' starting catcher for the World Series six months later and won the National League Rookie of the Year award that year. In 2015, Fresno became an affiliate of the Houston Astros and won the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game by defeating the Columbus Clippers, 7–0, in El Paso, Texas.

Houston Astros (2015–2018)

Following the 2017 season, manager Tony DeFrancesco left after leading Fresno to a 234–194 record from 2015 to 2017, the first time the Grizzlies completed three consecutive winning seasons. The team was sold to Fresno Sports and Events in a transaction made official on February 27, 2018. The Astros declined to renew their contract beyond 2018. For 2019, the Grizzlies and Washington Nationals agreed to a player development contract for 2019 and 2020.

Colorado Rockies (2021–present)

The 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being cancelled on June 30. In conjunction with MLB's reorganization of the minors after 2020, the Nationals discontinued their affiliation. In 2021, the Grizzlies were transferred to the Low-A West as the Low-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They won the 2021 Northern Division title with a 74–41 record but lost the league championship series to the San Jose Giants, 3–0.

Zac Veen was selected as the league's Top MLB Prospect, and Robinson Cancel won Manager of the Year. In 2022, the Low-A West became known as the California League and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit.

Popular culture

The 2012 family film Parental Guidance features Billy Crystal as the radio voice of the Fresno Grizzlies. The Grizzlies gained national attention in summer 2015 for playing a game as The Fresno Tacos, complete with specially designed tacos uniforms, to celebrate the city's annual Taco Truck Throwdown. The main character of the 2023 sitcom Not Dead Yet, Nell Serrano, is a fan of the Fresno Grizzlies; the seventh episode of season one, 'Not Out of the Game Yet,' involves her writing the obituary for the Grizzlies' former color commentator.