Portland Gherkins
| Portland Gherkins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | Wild Wild West League (2020–present) |
| Location | Portland, Oregon |
| Ballpark | Charles B. Walker Stadium at Lents Park |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Nickname(s) | Gherks |
| League championships | 1 (2022) |
| Division championships | 0 |
| Colors | Blue, Sky Blue, Green and White |
| Mascot | Lil' P |
| Ownership | Rose City Baseball, LLC Portland Pickles |
| Website | www |
The Portland Gherkins are a collegiate woodbat baseball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Wild Wild West League, a developmental collegiate summer baseball league owned by Rose City Baseball, LLC, and operated by the Portland Pickles baseball club of the West Coast League. They play their home games at Walker Stadium in Portland's Lents Park and are the Pickles' farm club.
History
The Gherkins were founded in 2019 by Rose City Baseball, LLC, as a farm team for the Portland Pickles baseball club of the West Coast League. They were set to play an independent schedule, but on June 5, 2020, the WCL's board of directors voted to cancel their 2020 season due to COVID-19 pandemic. [1] As a result, the Pickles organization founded the Wild Wild West League in response to the WCL season cancellation, playing in Bob Brack Stadium at North Marion High School in Aurora, Oregon.
Wild Wild West League (2020-present)
2020: "The Pandemic Season"
The league consisted of four teams: the Pickles, Gherkins, Gresham GreyWolves, and West Linn Knights. Games ran in a short-season format from July 11 to August 7 with playoffs on August 8 and a final championship game on August 9, which was won by the Knights.
The team plays fellow teams in the WCL including the Pickles with Gherkin players given the opportunity to move up to the Pickles roster based on ability.
2022: First Championship
After failing to make the title game the first two years, the Gherkins finally won the 2022 Wild Wild West League Championship defeating the Gresham GreyWolves 9-7. Kane Kiaunis was named the game's most valuable player. They are the second Portland team to win a championship with the Portland Rosebuds winning the previous season. [2]
Sponsorship
Largely made up of local players, the Gherkins have partnered with the Milwaukie, Oregon-based company Dave's Killer Bread for the latter to act as the official broadcast partner.[3] In 2022, they partnered with Portland-based Pickle Finance as a team sponsor.
Broadcast
Gherkins games are broadcast on the Portland Pickles' Facebook Live and YouTube with play-by-play announcers changing year to year. The initial Wild Wild West League announcer was Mike Chexx for the 2021 season, but moved up to the Pickles announcer's booth in 2022.
Results by season
| Year | League | Won | Lost | Regular Season Finish | Postseason | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Wild Wild West League | N/A | N/A | 3rd in League | Lost semi-finals (West Linn) | N/A |
| 2021 | Wild Wild West League | N/A | N/A | 3rd in League | Lost semi-finals (Gresham) | N/A |
| 2022 | Wild Wild West League [4] | 11 | 1 | 1st in League | Won Championship (Gresham) | Gerhett Moser |
References
- ^ "WCL Cancels 2020 Season". West Coast League. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
- ^ "GHERKINS WIN THEIR FIRST WILD WILD WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP, KANE KIAUNIS NAMED MVP". Wild Wild West League. 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ New for 2020: Portland Gherkins, Ballpark Digest, December 11, 2019
- ^ "Wild Wild West League Summer 2022 Standings". Pointstreak. 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
