Bakersfield Chimps

The Bakersfield Chimps were one of the most popular and successful teams of the Central California Baseball Association. The Chimps were members of the CCBA from 1949-1955. The Chimps were beloved by the city of Bakersfield, as well as all of Central California. The Chimps had one of the highest attendance records of any minor league ball club of the 1950s. Going to a Chimps game was like a religion for the people of Bakersfield. People came to think of a Bakersfield Chimp, just as much as the rodeo or Buck Owens.

From 1956-1967, Bakersfield played in the Class A Pacific Gold Coast Association, when they were the minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Their West-Coast fan base was threatened by the arrivals of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. But low and behold, the Bakersfield fans stood behind their Chimps and brought pre-season ticket sales to an all-time high.

In 1958, Chimps manager Earl Raspey said it best. “We’re not the Giants. We’re not the Dodgers. We’re the Chimps and folks gotta get used to it”, he quipped. Folks did get used to it. The Chimps baseball club became the most popular sport in Bakersfield.

The Chimps were their league champions in 1954, 1960 and 1965. Jack Ball was voted Most Valuable Player of the CCBA in 1954. Ball was known as “Mr. Chimp” and is the only player in Bakersfield history to have his uniform number retired.