BIlly Bloomfield (1886-1966): Rare 30-Game Winner Pitching in California League

From roughly 1905 to 1915, Billy Bloomfield was a professional pitcher who played for a number of clubs in the Pacific Coast League, California League, Northwestern League, and the Trolley League of Northern California. He also pitched for an independent team sponsored by United Railways in San Francisco. In 1909, while pitching for the Oakland Commuters, Bloomfield joined the rare ranks of 30-game winners with a 31-17 record, cementing his reputation as a standout on the mound.

The Oakland Commuters were a minor league baseball team that played in the California League, the California State League and the Pacific Coast League from 1901 to 1915. Largely forgotten today, they were nomads in a time before Oakland had a permanent ballpark for them. The Commuters received their name because they lacked a homefield. For their entire existence, they bounced around ballparks such as Freeman’s Park, Idora Park and Dover Street Park. 

As a pitcher, he compiled a 61-49 career record for a 55.5% winning percentage. He also had 348 career at-bats with a .246 batting average, which included 10 doubles, 11 triples and 2 home runs. 

Sources: Baseball Reference, San Francisco Call, Oakland Tribune, Wikipedia