Portland Gherkins

The Portland Gherkins are a collegiate woodbat baseball team based in Portland, Oregon. They are charter members of the Wild Wild West League, a short-season 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.

Portland Gherkins
Information
LeagueWild Wild West League (2020–present)
LocationPortland, Oregon
BallparkCharles B. Walker Stadium at Lents Park
Year founded2019
Nickname(s)Gherks
League championships1 (2022)
Division championships0
ColorsBlue, Sky Blue, Green and White
       
MascotLil' P
OwnershipRose City Baseball, LLC
Portland Pickles
General ManagerRoss Campbell
Websitewww.wwwestleague.com/portland-gherkins

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. The original plans were to have the Gherkins play an independent schedule as a way to enhance talent to play in the WCL. However, 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.

As previously planned, 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.

2020: "The Pandemic Season"

The Wild Wild West 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 after eliminating the Gherkins in the semi-finals.

2021: New Home, New Direction

In the summer of 2021, the Gherkins and the WWWL were such a hit that the league and all teams relocated to Walker Stadium in east Portland, the Pickles' home field, to start their second season. The Gherkins were eliminated from the championship game a second time, this time by the expansion Willamette Wild Bills.

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 channels 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
2020Wild Wild West LeagueN/AN/A4th in LeagueLost semi-finals (West Linn)N/A
2021Wild Wild West LeagueN/AN/A3rd in LeagueLost semi-finals (Gresham)N/A
2022Wild Wild West League[4]1111st in LeagueWon Championship (Gresham)Gerhett Moser

References
  1. "WCL Cancels 2020 Season". West Coast League. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  2. "GHERKINS WIN THEIR FIRST WILD WILD WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP, KANE KIAUNIS NAMED MVP". Wild Wild West League. 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  3. New for 2020: Portland Gherkins, Ballpark Digest, December 11, 2019
  4. "Wild Wild West League Summer 2022 Standings". Pointstreak. 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
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