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Pitchers of Beer: The Story of the Seattle Rainiers
In 1937, when local beer baron Emil Sick stepped in, the Seattle Indians were a struggling minor-league baseball team teetering on collapse. Moved to mix baseball and beer by his good friend and fellow brewer, New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, Sick built a new stadium and turned the team into a civic treasure. The Rainiers (newly named after the beer) set attendance records and won Pacific Coast League titles in 1939, ’40, ’41, ’51, and ’55.
The story of the Rainiers spans the end of the Great Depression, World War II, the rise of the airline industry, and the incursion of Major League Baseball into the West Coast (which ultimately spelled doom for the club). It features well-known personalities such as Babe Ruth, who made an unsuccessful bid to manage the team; Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby, who did manage the Rainiers; and Ron Santo, a batboy who went on to a storied career with the Chicago Cubs. Mixing traditional baseball lore with tales of mischief, Pitchers of Beer relates the twenty-seven-year history of the Rainiers, a history that captures the timeless appeal of baseball, along with the local moments and minutiae that bring the game home to each and every one of us. Pitchers of Beer showcases fifty-two photographs of players and memorabilia from noted Northwest baseball collector David Eskenazi.
The story of the Rainiers spans the end of the Great Depression, World War II, the rise of the airline industry, and the incursion of Major League Baseball into the West Coast (which ultimately spelled doom for the club). It features well-known personalities such as Babe Ruth, who made an unsuccessful bid to manage the team; Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby, who did manage the Rainiers; and Ron Santo, a batboy who went on to a storied career with the Chicago Cubs. Mixing traditional baseball lore with tales of mischief, Pitchers of Beer relates the twenty-seven-year history of the Rainiers, a history that captures the timeless appeal of baseball, along with the local moments and minutiae that bring the game home to each and every one of us. Pitchers of Beer showcases fifty-two photographs of players and memorabilia from noted Northwest baseball collector David Eskenazi.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 3, 2017
A fantastically well-researched, entertaining and informative book about the history of Seattle baseball. So many wonderful characters, including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Rogers Hornsby and Seattle legends Fred Hutchison and Emil Slick are present in this book. Baseball fans from all over, especially the PNW, will enjoy this book.
February 19, 2025
Easy to gush about old Seattle memories, since the people and places and stories bring back piles of familiar nostalgia for this old native son. But beyond that, it’s just a fabulous book, compiled with love for the game and the city by another local boy. The reader can almost see Raley, with stacks of notes from interviews and written sources, piecing each chapter together, deciding which delicious bits to keep and which to cut. Loved every word!
January 19, 2015
On this night of repeating Seattle champions, I finished another book about a team from Seattle that won back-to-back championships (1940 and 1941). In many was, this book was an excellent follow-on to Boys in the Boat - in time period and in historical personalities. The writing is, unfortunately, not as good. The author covers 27 seasons (along with lead in and follow up) and did a fairly decent job of it. The character of Emil Sick, Fred Hutchison and others come through well. The resulting book is a solid 3½ star effort.
July 8, 2018
My local home team in the 50s and again in the early 60s. Would move to southern California again and resume my attraction to the Dodgers. Disappointed with the short life of the Pilots, I still wear Mariners gear even though I am away from my lived northwest.
Some of the stories brought back youthful memories, but mostly
learned and appreciated new things about Seattle baseball.
Some of the stories brought back youthful memories, but mostly
learned and appreciated new things about Seattle baseball.
September 14, 2020
A fun book for fans and locals. Based on many interviews and a few documentary sources and newspapers. An easy and entertaining look at the characters who played (and misplayed) baseball at the best of the minor leagues. I have no idea how it got to be published by the University of Nebraska.
March 4, 2021
This was an exhaustive history of the Rainiers' owner Emil Sick and beyond during the decades a handful of locals tried to bring the majors to Seattle. Colorful and detailed, there is a lot of lost moments brought back to life here. Enjoyable to meet these players again.
February 6, 2013
I received this book for Christmas and started reading it right away. I can't say enough good things about the book. I didn't realize how popular the Seattle Rainiers were and the great many names that played for and or managed the team. I won't tip off anything about the book other than the Sultan of Swat himself called and wanted to manage the Rainiers and was turned down.
Great book, great read and after reading it, I wish I could have seen a game in Sicks Stadium.
Great book, great read and after reading it, I wish I could have seen a game in Sicks Stadium.
July 21, 2018
As I relatively new Seattleite (I've lived here about 17 years), I particularly enjoyed this book. Dan Raley always does his research, and few can compete with him when it comes to writing about Seattle sports history. This book is filled with great stories that baseball fans will enjoy.
April 15, 2022
This is an extremely well written book. I have zero connection to Seattle yet really enjoyed this book. A great choice for fans of minor league baseball!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews