Gilmore Field

When the Hollywood Stars moved to Los Angeles in 1938, they spent time in both Wrigley Field and Gilmore Stadium while their permanent home was being built. They truly felt at home once Gilmore Field opened in May 1939, just a stone's throw away from the Stadium yet still located within the dense Gilmore's Farmers Market. Stars owner Bob Cobb was well connected with Hollywood and had even brought in a slew of luminaries such as Gene Autry, Gary Cooper and Bing Crosby as minority investors in his baseball team. As a result, Gilmore Field became one of Hollywood's biggest attractions in that era.

For a 12,000 seat ballpark it was quite intimate. The distance from first base and third base to the bleachers was just 24 feet and both left field and right field were an even 335 feet deep. It was also one of the first ballparks to be built with lights and was the single-level grandstand was topped off with a roofed steel frame to fend off the often scorching Los Angeles sun. It was the second largest ballpark in the PCL, right behind San Francisco's Seals Stadium.

The Stars began their stay there four weeks into the 1939 season and finished the year 82-94, good for sixth in the league. This began a streak of seven straight years where they never finished above fourth place. Still, they managed to reach the postseason in 1941 with an 85-91 record, losing in the first round. Five years later, the Stars were led by two managers, Buck Fausett and Jimmie Dykes, who led the club to the postseason again. But alas, the 1946 Hollywood Stars failed once again to reach the PCL championship round.

There was a pep in their step all year long in 1949. Led by Fred Haney, the Stars won a franchise best 109 games as they tore through their schedule. After beating the San Diego Padres 4-2, the Hollywood Stars were finally champions of the Pacific Coast League. They would never win another title.

Gilmore Field lasted through 1957 but when the Dodgers decided to move across the country and into their territory, Bob Cobb and his fellow investors decided to seek greener pastures elsewhere. The Stars moved into Spokane's Sick's Stadium and became the Indians just as Gilmore Field was being cleared away to make room for the CBS Television City.

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References

1. https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-pacific-coast-league-ballparks-of-los-angeles/

2. https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Hollywood_Stars

3. https://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/gallery/Gilmore-Field-Stadium/G0000ja4nlgBn0u8/

4. https://lamag.com/news/citydig-before-the-dodgers-la-had-the-hollywood-stars-and-gilmore-field