Long Beach Beachcombers

The Long Beach Beachcombers was the last name used by minor league baseball teams that played in Long Beach, California, during the 1910 and 1913 seasons. These teams competed in the Class D Southern California Trolley League in 1910 and the Southern California League in 1913.

Long Beach first hosted minor league baseball in 1910, when the Long Beach Clothiers joined the newly formed Southern California Trolley League. This six-team league, headed by president Jim McCormick, began play on April 3, 1910, with games scheduled only on Sundays and intended to run year-round.

The league included teams from Los Angeles (the McCormicks and Maiers), Pasadena (Silk Sox), Redondo Beach (Wharf Rats), and Santa Ana (Walnut Growers). The league’s name came from the fact that all ballparks were reachable by trolley in the greater Los Angeles area. The Clothiers were managed by S.J. Abrams.

Financial troubles plagued the league early. On May 3, 1910, the Pasadena Silk Sox (0–4) and Los Angeles Maiers (1–3) both folded. In a May 1 game, the Los Angeles McCormicks made 11 errors in a 7–2 loss to Long Beach.

The league disbanded permanently on June 13, 1910. At that time, the Redondo Beach Wharf Rats led with a 9–2 record, followed by Santa Ana (8–3), Long Beach (4–5), and Los Angeles (2–7). League president Jim McCormick later held a meeting at his pool hall on South Spring Street to settle the league’s affairs, and some teams hoped to continue play later.

In 1913, Long Beach returned to minor league baseball as the Long Beach Beachcombers, a charter member of the four-team Class D Southern California League under president Jay Davidson. The other charter teams were the Pasadena Millionaires, San Bernardino Kittens, and San Diego Bears. The Beachcombers began play on April 22, 1913, under a split-season schedule. Sunday doubleheaders were initially scheduled, with the first game in the morning, but disputes with local clergy led to schedule changes.

As teams struggled financially, Davidson suggested each team issue stock. During the season, the Pasadena team moved to Santa Barbara.

The league disbanded on July 23, 1913, with Santa Barbara leading the second half. San Diego had the best overall record (56–33), followed by San Bernardino (48–38), Long Beach (43–46), and Pasadena/Santa Barbara (27–57). The Beachcombers were managed by Harry Connor, Jesse Stovall, and Bull Durham.

Long Beach did not have another minor league team until 1995, when the Long Beach Barracudas joined the independent Western Baseball League and won two straight championships under manager Jeff Burroughs.

The ballparks

In 1910, the Clothiers played at Belmont Park Grounds. In 1913, the Beachcombers played at Connor Park, which had a capacity of 400 and was located at Broadway and Parker Avenue in Long Beach.