Giants Ballpark to go through ANOTHER name change

[NJTank]

Thats very possible as the PCL they would have been merged into the majors some how, with 4 teams being taken in 2 in the AL and 2 in the NL.

[The_Admiral]

The NL and AL would never have allowed for the PCL to gain equal standing. They might have merged into the two but there would not have been a third league.

[Swiss]

I don't believe that the PCL would have become the third major league.

Remember the ill fated Continental League? Its two first franchises were New York and Houston before 1962. The MLB reacted and killed the third major league before its birth granting the first expansion to NL (NY Mets and Houston .45 -later the Astros-).

If the Giants and Dodgers wouldn't leave NYC, surely LA and SF would get some expansion teams inside of the same league to make a profitable rivalry.

[Lightningfan]

Giants should just call their stadium:

911 Field

or Wrong Number Field

[jrh31584]

Had the PCL merged into the major leagues, how many of the markets could have sustained franchises? LA probably could support both the Angels and the Hollywood Stars, not sure about the Bay Area supporting two teams, San Diego and Seattle were probably a decade or so away, Portland and Sacramento, probably not, but I've never lived out there, so I don't know.

[jkrdevil]

Had the PCL merged into the major leagues, how many of the markets could have sustained franchises? LA probably could support both the Angels and the Hollywood Stars, not sure about the Bay Area supporting two teams, San Diego and Seattle were probably a decade or so away, Portland and Sacramento, probably not, but I've never lived out there, so I don't know.

Considering that that most of those markets currently have teams and MLB soon expanded into most of the ose markets I think it would still be around if the PCL stepped up. The Bay Area currently has 2 teams and have had 2 teams since the mid-sixties. LA has had 2 teams for all but 3 years MLB has been there.

Portland has been on the short list of places where MLB might move to, if a team moves. Sacramento also on a list although they are bit further down. Maybe those to end up moving however I have no doubt the PCL would still exist as a Major League if it stepped up.

As for what would happen if the Dodgers and Giants wouldn't have moved. I don't think the PCL would have stepped up. MLB would have expanded there to prevent that.

[mjrbaseball]

It actually was the plan of MLB to turn the PCL into a third major league. In the early 1950s, the PCL was advanced from Class AAA to what was called "Open Class", meaning there were no restrictions on their operations. The only other leagues in organized baseball with no restrictions were the American and National leagues.

Everything fell through, of course, when the Dodgers and Giants moved.

But even before that, there was talk of expanding stadiums in most of the PCL cities, and even some relocation to more "inland" cities.

For example, both teams in L.A. (the Angels and the Hollywood Stars) were considered viable, although they couldn't continue to share Wrigley Field. The San Diego Padres would probably also stay, along with the San Francisco Seals and Seattle Rainiers.

At the time, Portland was considered a more substantial market than Oakland, just because of the proximity of S.F. and Oakland. Most of the relocation talk was about Oakland and Sacramento to probably Phoenix and Denver.