Wild Wild West League

Collegiate summer baseball team

Wild Wild West League
SportBaseball
Founded2020
Owner(s)Portland Pickles
CommissionerRob Neyer
No. of teams4 (as of 2023)
CountriesUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		Willamette Wild Bills
Official websitewww.wwwestleague.com

The Wild Wild West League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league based out of Portland, Oregon. It serves as a developmental minor league and is owned and operated by the Portland Pickles collegiate baseball club of the West Coast League. The league features four teams and all games are played at Charles B. Walker Stadium at Lents Park in southeast Portland, home of the Pickles.

History

League's original logo from their inaugural season in 2020.

2020: Inaugural season

The league was formed by the Portland Pickles in 2020 following the cancellation of the West Coast League's regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Months prior, the Pickles also founded a developmental farm club of their own known as the Portland Gherkins.[1][2][3][4][5] The Pickles and Gherkins were joined by the previously independent Gresham GreyWolves and West Linn Knights and played the inaugural two-week season at Bob Brack Stadium in Aurora, Oregon, with all players, coaches and staffs having to follow the COVID-19 guidelines at the local, state and federal levels and limited fans in attendance. The league even grabbed the attention nationally of Forbes magazine.[6] Play officially began on July 11, 2020, with the Pickles playing the Gherkins.[7][8]

On July 15, 2020, the league suspended play for at least seven days following positive COVID-19 tests from two players, just four days after the inaugural season started.[9] The league would resume play eight days later.[10][11]

The Knights won the inaugural league championship, defeating the Pickles 8–7 in the championship game.[12][13]

2021

The league was so successful that it announced a second season and that all of its games would be moved to Walker Stadium at Lents Park in southeast Portland, home of the Pickles, who returned to the WCL. The Knights were folded and both were replaced by the revived Portland Rosebuds (named for the former Negro league team from the 1940's) and Willamette Wild Bills.[14][15]

The Rosebuds won the 2nd WWWL Championship defeating the Wild Bills 6–4 in the finals.[16][17]

2022

The league announced expansion into Cleburne, Texas, with a newly-formed four-team Texas Division with all games being played at The Depot at Cleburne Station, also the home of the Cleburne Railroaders of the professional American Association. The four teams founded by the league included the Cleburne Eagles (named for the former Negro league team from the 1930's to 1960's), Joshua Trees, Burleson Boxers and Fort Worth Rodeo Cats.[18][19][20]

However, the teams never played due to lack of interest. Therefore, the Texas Division teams and plans were scrapped by the league.

The Oregon teams all returned for a third season and became known as the Portland Division with all games once again being played at Walker Stadium. The Portland Gherkins won the 2022 WWWL Championship defeating the Gresham GreyWolves 9–7 in the championship game.[21][22]

2023

On April 13, 2023, the league announced that they would play a fourth season.[23] On August 26, the Willamette Wild Bills won their first WWWL Championship by beating the defending champion Gherkins 9-8 to capture the title.[24]

Special rules

PickleBot 3000

One of the main attractions to the league is an automated strike zone, dubbed Picklebot 3000. Because of the Picklebot, only one field umpire is used for each game. It was introduced in 2021 and has been used ever since.[25]

The Wheel of Brine

In certain games, the Wheel of Brine is spun to change the conditions of the game. An inning could have four outs, two outfielders, or every count could start 2-1.[26]

Current teams

Team City First Season
Gresham GreyWolves Gresham, OR 2020
Portland Gherkins Portland, OR 2020
Portland Rosebuds Portland, OR 2021
Willamette Wild Bills Portland, OR 2021

Former teams

Team City First Season Last Season Result
Burleson Boxers Burleson, TX 2022 2022 Never Played
Cleburne Eagles Cleburne, TX 2022 2022 Never Played
Fort Worth Rodeo Cats Fort Worth, TX 2022 2022 Never Played
Joshua Trees Joshua, TX 2022 2022 Never Played
Portland Pickles Portland, OR 2020 2020 Returned to WCL full-time
West Linn Knights Portland, OR 2020 2020 Folded

Champions

  • 2020: West Linn Knights
  • 2021: Portland Rosebuds
  • 2022: Portland Gherkins
  • 2023: Willamette Wild Bills

Broadcasting

The league broadcasts all games on Facebook Live and YouTube channels using the Portland Pickles' Broadcast Crew. Carlo Jimenez was the initial play-by-play voice in 2020, followed by Mike Chexx in 2021.

References

  1. ^ Baseball in 2020: Portland Pickles announce formation of Wild Wild West League, JD Humburg, The Oregonian/OregonLive.com, June 13, 2020
  2. ^ ‘We couldn’t quit on it.’ The Wild Wild West League will bring live sports back to Portland, Matt Cohen, The Oregonian/OregonLive.com, June 14, 2020
  3. ^ About Us, WWWL official website
  4. ^ Portland Pickles: Introducing the Wild Wild West League, 750 The Game website, June 11, 2020
  5. ^ Area Baseball Players Find Opportunity In Wild Wild West League, Jesse Sowa, Corvallis Gazette-Times, July 9, 2020
  6. ^ Wild Wild West League Offers Rare Chance To Attend Baseball Games During Pandemic, Maury Brown, Forbes, August 4, 2020
  7. ^ Cohen, Matt (July 12, 2020). "Wild Wild West League opening night brings live team sports back to Oregon". oregonlive. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  8. ^ "Portland Pickles Win First Game of Wild Wild West League". 750 The Game. July 12, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  9. ^ Sowa, Jesse (July 9, 2020). "Area baseball players find opportunity in Wild Wild West League". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  10. ^ Cohen, Matt (July 20, 2020). "Wild Wild West League to return to baseball Thursday after coronavirus tests come back negative". oregonlive. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  11. ^ Martinez, Tim (July 15, 2020). "Positive tests shut down Wild Wild West League for week". The Columbian. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  12. ^ WWWL Championship Game 8/9 #1 West Linn Knights vs #2 Portland Pickles, retrieved March 27, 2024
  13. ^ "WWWL Ends on Positive Note". Wild Wild West League. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  14. ^ McDonald, Jeremy (January 25, 2021). "Wild Wild West League Returns For Year 2". JMcDonaldMedia. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  15. ^ "WILD WILD WEST LEAGUE RETURNS WITH TWO NEW TEAMS IN 2021!". Wild Wild West League. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  16. ^ WWWL Playoffs: #2 Willamette Wild Bills vs #4 Portland Rosebuds, retrieved March 27, 2024
  17. ^ "Portland Rosebuds Win Wild Wild West League CHAMPIONSHIP IN first season since 1946". Wild Wild West League. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  18. ^ "The Wild Wild West League EXPANDS: Four New Teams In Texas". Wild Wild West League. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  19. ^ Arauz Peña, Pablo (March 30, 2022). "A new baseball league is coming to North Texas this summer – and it's going to be wild". KERA News. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  20. ^ Caputo, Paul (April 2, 2022). "Wild Wild West League adds teams, expands to Texas – SportsLogos.Net News". sportslogos.net. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  21. ^ Portland Gherkins vs Gresham Greywolves Championship Finals, retrieved March 27, 2024
  22. ^ "Gherkins win their first Wild Wild West League Championship, Kane Kiaunis Named MVP". Wild Wild West League. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  23. ^ "2023 Wild Wild West League Season Announced". Wild Wild West League. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  24. ^ THE WILD BILLS WIN THE 2023 WILD WILD WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP, WWWL Facebook, August 26, 2023
  25. ^ "Picklebot 3000". Wild Wild West League. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  26. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Wild Wild West League. Retrieved March 27, 2024.

External links

  • Wild West West League official website
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