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Matt Wastradowski
Matt Wastradowski is an Oregon-based travel writer who loves writing about the great outdoors, craft beer, and regional history.
A Complete Guide to Portland Baseball
The Portland Pickles and Hillsboro Hops have captured the hearts of Portland baseball fans with inventive promotions and plenty of nods to local culture. Here’s how to get in on the fun.
Matt Wastradowski
Matt Wastradowski is an Oregon-based travel writer who loves writing about the great outdoors, craft beer, and regional history.
In the summer of 2017, a friend and I attended my first Portland Pickles game at Walker Stadium in Southeast Portland’s Lents Park. I knew the Pickles comprised college players on summer break — but little else of what to expect.
So imagine my surprise when the Vengaboys’ cheesy, synth-driven “We like to Party! (The Vengabus)” blared over the loudspeakers whenever the Pickles scored a run — an occurrence that inspired fans to raise upturned chairs in celebration. It all happened on Hawaiian Night, a promotion that encouraged fans (alongside the team’s 7-foot-tall [2.1-m-tall] mascot, Dillon T. Pickle) to wear their loudest shirts.
The scene felt less like a staid baseball game of yore and more like a summertime block party. So infectious was the energy, I purchased a Pickles hat that night.
The scene felt less like a staid baseball game of yore and more like a summertime block party. So infectious was the energy, I purchased a Pickles hat that night.
These days, the Pickles remain a buzz-worthy draw and put an inventive twist on the traditional baseball experience. And the Pickles aren’t the only game in town. The Hillsboro Hops, who play 14 miles (22.5 km) west of downtown Portland, are a minor-league affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks that showcases the top stars of tomorrow. So if you’re looking to enjoy a night at the ballpark, here’s the skinny on baseball in Portland.
The Portland Pickles, Explained
The Portland Pickles played their first game in 2016 and today are part of the West Coast League (WCL) — a league of 16 teams from Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta. Unlike their more famous minor-league brethren, WCL teams aren’t run as farm teams for (and by) individual Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs; rather, the league’s independently run teams develop college players each summer, with a season that generally runs from early June to late August. Over the years, numerous Pickles players have been drafted by MLB teams.
And while the on-field product is enjoyable enough, it’s what happens off the field that’s generated some of the club’s biggest moments.
The team’s mascot, for instance, has become a source of good-natured controversy in recent years — so much so, Dillon T. Pickle’s exploits generated a 1,900-word breakdown on ESPN.com in 2022. And that’s to say nothing of the team’s official Twitter account, which shares a steady diet of innuendo-laden, pickle-themed memes with more than 40,000 followers.
It’s not all viral content, though. The Pickles routinely partner with local artists who design merchandise and art prints that are available at games and at The Pickle Jar, a team-run retail store in downtown Portland that features exclusive merchandise, the occasional live music performance or stand-up comedy set, art shows with the team’s collaborators, and a bar that serves beer and wine (as well as free pickle juice shots with every purchase).
The Game-Night Experience at Walker Stadium
The Pickles play about 40 home games in Southeast Portland each summer — usually against a mix of West Coast League opponents and local clubs from the developmentally minded Wild Wild West League (including the Portland Gherkins, the Pickles’ appropriately named farm club, and the Portland Rosebuds — named for a Negro League team that once played in Portland).
Located in the Lents neighborhood, Pickles tickets are affordable and most games feature some kind of attention-grabbing themed promotion. “We’re always looking for new and exciting ways to bring people out and give people something they can look forward to,” says Ross Campbell, vice president of business development for the Pickles. “People can expect that it will always be fun and it will always be unique.”
Over the years, the fun has included a mix of recurring promotions — including Tattoo Tuesdays (where fans can sign up for free, Pickles-themed tattoos) and Woof Wednesdays (where fans can bring Fido to the park and join a puppy parade) — and more uproarious, one-off events (such as Exploding Whale Night, where in 2022 the team “blew up” a fake whale on the field in a callback to when Oregon officials blew up a beached whale — with calamitous results — in 1970). Every Friday home game, meanwhile, features a pre-game concert from a local band.
Craft Beer, Local Food Among Concessions
Those promotions usually bring an energetic atmosphere to each Pickles game, where fans can sample craft beer and cider from local producers, hang out at Dillon’s Hideaway (a forested outdoor bar behind the center field fence) and sample cuisine from Portland chefs. All the usual concession-stand fare is accounted for, as are deep-fried pickles and pickles on a stick. (More decadent pickle-themed specials vary from game to game; one gut-busting offering was a Snickers candy bar stuffed inside a giant pickle.)
If you’re looking to get the party started early, post up at The ZED, a 10-minute, half-mile (0.8-km) walk away from Walker Stadium. The food hall, long a popular pre-game haunt among Pickles fans, serves internationally inspired cuisine from four vendors alongside cocktails and craft beer from Zoiglhaus Brewing Company.
What to Know About the Hillsboro Hops
Portland baseball fans aren’t limited to the Pickles. On the west side of the Portland metro area, the Hillsboro Hops, a minor-league affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, play April–September at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro. Named for one of the primary ingredients in craft beer, the team has earned acclaim over the years for hosting future big-leaguers and imbuing its in-game experience with a variety of local offerings (such as concessions from Portland-area producers).
Game night in Hillsboro might look a little less wacky than in Portland, but engaging attractions include a fun-loving mascot (a curvy green hop named Barley T. Hop) and promotions such as Wine & Nine Night (featuring tastings from nearby wineries and charcuterie boards available for purchase) and “Star Wars” Night (starring costumed characters and a “Star Wars”-themed fireworks display).
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