The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a minor league baseball team in Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA. They are a Class A-Advanced team in the California League and a farm team of the Los Angeles Dodgers, their third major league affiliate as the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The franchise was founded in Lodi, California in 1966, with its home field as the Tony Zupo Field. The team then went through several new names and ownership changes. After changing their name from the Spirit to the Quakes in 1993 and moving to Rancho Cucamonga, the team plays its home games at LoanMart Field, where the team has broken a number of seasonal attendance records for their league. In the 2015 season, the Quakes won their second Cal League Championship in franchise history, sweeping the San Jose Giants for their first crown since 1994. In 2018 they swept Visalia Rawhide to win their third league championship
History
Early years
The Quakes franchise has been in existence since 1966 when it played in Lodi, California. A team of investors from the city had pooled together $2,500 to start the franchise a few years earlier, and their first name was the Lodi Crushers. Until 1984, the team played at Lawrence Park for home games. Several times in its early history, the team was sold from one group of collaborating town residents to another. The franchise since in 1966 has been affiliated with several major league teams, notably the Los Angeles Dodgers in the late 1970s and the Chicago Cubs in the early 1980s. While in Lodi the team won several California League Championships, including 1973, 1977 and 1981. After 1984, the Chicago Cubs pulled out of Lodi, and the franchise's owner Michelle Sprague couldn't find a major league affiliate. She deactivated the team for a year, selling to a group including former L.A. Dodger, Ken McMullen. After spending time in Ventura under new ownerships, the team moved to San Bernardino and in 1987 and became the San Bernardino Spirit. Ken Griffey, Jr. was among the players that came through Fiscalini Field on their way to the big leagues.
Move to Rancho Cucamonga
In the early 1990s, Stickney was informed by the city of Rancho Cucamonga that they would be breaking ground on a new stadium. Selling the rights to the name the San Bernardino Spirit to a different franchise, the main staff of Stickney's team moved outside the construction zone where the ballpark would be built. Construction started on November 14, 1991. Named "The Quake" after a vote, the stadium was nicknamed the "Epicenter". The team moved into the stadium on April 1, 1993. The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes played their first game at the stadium on April 8 against the High Desert Mavericks, winning 7–3. The Quakes won their first California League championship in 1994, defeating the Modesto A's in four games. The Quakes continue to play their home games at the stadium, now renamed LoanMart Field. While the stadium held up to 7000 fans in its first few years of existence, recent renovations in 2014 and 2015 now sees the ballpark hold just over 4900 total fans. During the late 1990s and 2000s, the Quakes broke several league attendance records. After being an affiliate of the San Diego Padres for the first eight years in Rancho Cucamonga, the team swapped affiliations with the Lake Elsinore Storm, beginning the 2001 season. For the next ten seasons, the Quakes were affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In 2010, its final year of affiliation with the Angels, the team advanced to the California League championship round, losing in extra innings in the fifth and deciding game to the San Jose Giants. After the season, the Quakes once again changed affiliations, joining the Dodgers' system. Television actorMark Harmon was one of the team's owners until he sold his interest in the team to local businessman Scott Ostlund. Since 2009, the team has been owned and operated by Brett Sports and Entertainment, headed by former Kansas City RoyalsHall of FamerGeorge Brett and his brother Bobby Brett.
Branding, media
The mascot of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes is Tremor, the "Rallysaurus". Joe Castellano was the team's first play-by-play announcer; he later moved on to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, and now works for XM Satellite Radio on the MLB Home Plate channel. The Quakes are currently in their second year with their current broadcast partner, IE NewsTalk 1290 with Mike Lindskog calling the play-by-play. NewsTalk 1290 is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.. It airs a talk radio format for the Inland Empire region of Southern California including Riverside and San Bernardino..
