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The Tacoma-Pierce County area has enjoyed a rich tradition of baseball from the sandlot beginnings in 1874, to the first professional game at the "Eleventh Street Ball Grounds" in 1890, to the "100 Day Wonder" known as Cheney Stadium, which was opened in the spring of 1960. While Tacoma has laid claim to five Pacific Coast League championships since the 1904-1905 season, it was the players who competed in the City, Valley, Sunset, Community, Timber, Commercial, Industrial, and Shipbuilders leagues that formed the backbone of the sport. Among notables that have dotted local rosters or competed in the major leagues are Ron Cey, "Indian" Bob Johnson, Mike Blowers, Jon Lester, Steve Whitaker, and Aaron Pointer, as well as Baseball Hall of Famers Walter Johnson, Joe McGinnity, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, and Willie McCovey.
About the author
Author Marc H. Blau, a native of Tacoma, is a longtime collector of Tacoma-Pierce County sports artifacts and is a devoted baseball historian. Cofounder of the Shanaman Sports Museum, Blau proudly shares his personal photograph collection, as well as as images from fellow baseball and fastpitch softball enthusiasts.
