Riverside Pilots
The Riverside Pilots were a minor league baseball team in Riverside, California. They were a high-A class team that played in the California League, and were a farm team of the Seattle Mariners for the franchise’s entire stay in Riverside. They played all of their home games at the Riverside Sports Complex, albeit for 20 games, they played in Palm Springs Stadium,[1] which was without a professional baseball team since 1993. In spite of the fact that Riverside made the playoffs each year of their existence, poor attendance figures proved too much to bear for the struggling franchise. Prior to the 1996 season, the Riverside Pilots folded, and officially became the Lancaster JetHawks.
| Riverside Pilots 1993–1995 Riverside, CA | |||||
| |||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous classes | High-A | ||||
| League | California League | ||||
| Division | Southern Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Previous teams | Seattle Mariners (1993–1995) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles | None | ||||
| Division titles | 1994 Southern Division champions | ||||
| Team data | |||||
Previous names |
| ||||
Previous parks |
| ||||
List of Riverside Pilots players in the MLB
All players are listed in alphabetical order by their surname, with the year(s) they played for Riverside in parentheses.
- Rafael Carmona (1994)
- Dean Crow (1995)
- José Cruz, Jr. (1995)
- John Cummings (1994)
- Tim Davis (1993)
- Ryan Franklin (1994)
- Charles Gipson (1994)
- George Glinatsis (1993–1994)
- Giomar Guevara (1995)
- Tim Harikkala (1994)
- Brett Hinchcliffe (1995)
- Raúl Ibañez (1995)
- Kevin King (1993)
- Derek Lowe (1993)
- Trey Moore (1995)
- Julio Peguero (1994)
- Arquimedez Pozo (1993)
- Desi Relaford (1994)
- Steve Rosenberg (1993)
- Marino Santana (1995)
- Andy Sheets (1993–1994)
- Mac Suzuki (1995)
- Ron Villone (1993)
- Chris Widger (1993)
- Bob Wolcott (1994)
- Kerry Woodson (1994)
Year-by-year record
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 76–61 | 4th | Dave Myers | Lost in Southern Division Finals to the High Desert Mavericks, 3–1 |
| 1994 | 87–49 | 2nd | Dave Myers | Lost in Southern Division Finals to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, 3–1 |
| 1995 | 72–67 | 6th | Dave Brundage | Lost in Southern Division Semi-Finals to the Lake Elsinore Storm, 2–1 |
Notes of Interest
- Comedian Billy Crystal had a limited ownership of the Riverside Pilots, at time.[2]
- Dave Brundage got his coaching start with Riverside in 1995.