The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field.

The franchise was founded in Lodi, California, in 1966 as members of the California League, with its home ballpark as Tony Zupo Field. The team then went through several new names and ownership changes before arriving in Rancho Cucamonga in 1993. In the 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the California League disbanded and was replaced by the Low-A-West, but this was renamed the California League in 2022.

The Quakes have three California League championships (1994, 2015, and 2018).

History

Early years

The Quakes franchise began in 1966 in Lodi, California as the Lodi Crushers after a team of investors from the city pooled together $2,500 a few years earlier. Until 1984, the team played at Lawrence Park (now Tony Zupo Field) for home games. Several times in its early history, the team was sold from one group of collaborating town residents to another. Since 1966, the franchise 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 the season, the Quakes once again changed affiliations, joining the Dodgers' system.

thumb|left|The 2018 Quakes in their dugout at LoanMart Field

Television actor Mark Harmon (St. Elsewhere, NCIS) 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 Royals Hall of Famer George Brett and his brother Bobby Brett.

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Quakes were organized into the Low-A West at the Low-A classification. In 2022, the Low-A West became known as the California League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit.

Relocation and reboot of franchise

The Quakes organization moved to a new 6,000 seat stadium in the Ontario Ranch section of Ontario and changed their name to the Ontario Tower Buzzers in 2026. However, the City of Rancho Cucamonga added a new Minor League Baseball affiliate at LoanMart Field under the name Quakes.

On December 12, 2024, it was announced the Quakes would continue in 2026 and beyond, with the team switching affiliates with the Inland Empire 66ers, assuming an affiliation with the Los Angeles Angels, at that time. The move consisted of the current Quakes franchise relocating to Ontario, the current 66ers franchise assuming the location and identity of the Quakes, and a relocated Modesto Nuts team assuming the 66ers location and identity. In effect, it made the move a de facto relocation of the Modesto Nuts franchise, rather than the Quakes franchise. The team was sold to Diamond Baseball Holdings, which will own all three teams, as well as two other teams in the eight-team California League.

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..

Past team names

  • Lodi Crushers (1966–1969)
  • Lodi Padres (1970–1971)
  • Lodi Orions (1972)
  • Lodi Lions (1973)
  • Lodi Orioles (1974–1975)
  • Lodi Dodgers (1976–1983)
  • Lodi Crushers (1984)
  • Ventura County Gulls (1986)
  • San Bernardino Spirit (1987–1992)

Past major league affiliations

  • Chicago Cubs (1966–1968, 1984)
  • Oakland Athletics (1969)
  • San Diego Padres (1970–1971)
  • Baltimore Orioles (1972–1975)
  • Los Angeles Dodgers (1976–1983, 1995, 2011–2025)
  • Toronto Blue Jays (1986)
  • Seattle Mariners (1988–1992)
  • San Diego Padres (1993–2000)
  • Los Angeles Angels (2001–2010, 2026–present)

Notable Quakes alumni

thumb|[[Jake Gelof]]

thumb|[[Dean Kremer with the Quakes]]

thumb|[[Joc Pederson with the Quakes]]

  • Erick Aybar
  • Cody Bellinger
  • Peter Bourjos
  • Walker Buehler
  • Jeter Downs
  • Jake Gelof
  • Tony Gonsolin
  • Vladimir Guerrero
  • Marcus Harvey
  • Bobby Jenks
  • Matt Kemp
  • Howie Kendrick
  • Dean Kremer
  • Derrek Lee
  • Gavin Lux
  • Dustin May
  • Kendrys Morales
  • Mike Napoli
  • Wil Nieves
  • Joc Pederson
  • Yasiel Puig
  • Francisco Rodríguez
  • Bubby Rossman
  • Ervin Santana
  • Joe Saunders
  • Corey Seager
  • Will Smith
  • Mike Trout
  • Mark Trumbo
  • Julio Urias
  • Fernando Valenzuela
  • Jordan Walden
  • Jered Weaver

Roster

<gallery>

File:Julio Urias.jpg|Julio Urías joined the team in 2014

File:Seager.jpg|Corey Seager

File:Aaron Miller.jpg|Aaron Miller

File:Matt herges Cleveland01.JPG|Matt Herges the pitching coach

</gallery>

References