The San Francisco Mission Reds played in the West Coast's top minor league from 1926 through 1937, the "other team" in a two-team baseball city, representing the working-class Mission District while the beloved Seals got the headlines. The franchise arrived from Southern California, where it had been the Vernon Tigers, and went by Mission Bells in its first seasons before settling on Mission Reds by 1928; fans and writers also called them the Monks or simply the Missions.
The Reds hit like few teams anywhere, ever. Playing at Recreation Park, whose right field fence stood just 235 feet away behind a 50-foot chicken wire screen, the 1929 club batted .319 as a team and produced one of the most famous seasons in minor league history: Ike Boone won the league Triple Crown with a .407 average, 55 home runs, and 218 RBIs, still among the gaudiest stat lines the game has recorded. Even so, the Reds lost the championship series that year, as close as the club ever came to a pennant. Ox Eckhardt kept the tradition going, setting the league record with a .414 average in 1933 and winning the 1935 batting title at .399, edging a 20-year-old Seals outfielder named Joe DiMaggio by a single point; Eckhardt still holds the highest combined professional batting average ever recorded, a point ahead of Ty Cobb.
The only Hall of Famer ever to wear the uniform was a local: Harry Hooper, the St. Mary's College product who had begun his professional career with the Alameda Grays in 1907, returned home to serve as the club's playing manager in 1927 after his long Red Sox and White Sox career.
The Reds never solved their real problem, which was the Seals. Consistently outdrawn even while sharing Seals Stadium after 1931, the franchise gave up on San Francisco after the 1937 season and moved south to become the Hollywood Stars, one of the league's glamour franchises. The Mission Reds remain a cult favorite of uniform collectors and West Coast baseball historians, the hard-hitting, hard-luck team from the wrong side of a one-team town that briefly had two.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our premium lightweight shirts are the hugely popular Bella+Canvas brand 3001 tees. They are much lighter and thinner feeling than a traditional heavyweight tee. They also are more form fitting and feel more snug. These are generally 90% to 100% cotton, although please note that heather colors in this item are 52% cotton.
Size Guide: Fit is true to size or a little snug. Considering ordering one size up if you are normally between sizes.
Brand: Bella Canvas | Product ID: 3001
- Made with 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, a lightweight fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)) that is easy to layer, breathable. Perfect for active and leisure wear.
- The retail fit that is perfect for casual and semi-formal settings. The crew neckline adds a classic, neat style that's perfect for accessorizing.
- Bella+Canvas manufactures all its products in the US and internationally in humane, no-sweat-shop, sustainable way and is part of the Fair Labor Association as well as Platinum WRAP certified.
- The tear-away label minimizes skin irritations.
- Fabric blends: Ash and Heather Prism colors - 99% cotton, 1% polyester; Heather and Solid Blend colors - 52% cotton, 48% polyester; Athletic Heather and Black Heather - 90% cotton, 10% polyester.
