in a Seals uniform, c. 1939 In 1945, a controlling interest in the team was purchased by businessman Paul Fagan, with the stated intention of bringing
Major League Baseball to the west coast by having the Pacific Coast League becoming the nation's third major league. He spent thousands of dollars upgrading Seals Stadium to perceived major league standards. He hired former major league player
Lefty O'Doul, a native San Franciscan and fan favorite, as manager. Though the Seals won the pennant in 1946, subsequent teams under Fagan's watch did not fare as well, typically finishing in the second division. Rival clubs did not buy into Fagan's major league ambitions. Rather, they established working agreements with major league teams, and fared better than did the independent Seals. In 1949 the Seals, including O'Doul, made an exhibition tour to post war Japan. O'Doul stated the crowds were sad and not enthusitastic; the oppostite of what they were when he was there 1931 and 1934. A Japanese American Army major ordered the USA and Japan flags to be flown together at the same height at the first exhibition game at
Kōrakuen Stadium on October 15, 1949. The Japanese became very emotional and exhibtion and their pre-war enthusiasm for baseball was reignited. Fagan gave up his aspirations and sold his interest in the Seals, who became an affiliate of the
Boston Red Sox. After their Bay Area rival, the
Oakland Oaks, moved to
Vancouver after the 1955 season, the Seals won their last PCL pennant in 1957, which proved to be their final season. Late in that season, the
New York Giants announced their move to San Francisco for the 1958 season, and the Seals were forced to relocate. As part of the
Giants' transfer to San Francisco, the Seals became its top affiliate after a swap on October 15, 1957 in which the
Minneapolis Millers joined the Red Sox organization. They moved to
Phoenix, Arizona for the 1958 season and were renamed the
Phoenix Giants. The franchise then moved to
Tacoma, Washington, where they played from 1960 to 1965, returning to Phoenix for the 1966 season. The team remained in Phoenix–from 1986 onward as the Firebirds–until 1998, when they were displaced by MLB's
Arizona Diamondbacks. In a complicated deal, the Firebirds' ownership group bought the
Tucson Toros, inheriting the Toros' staff and facilities. After an interim one-year affiliation with the
Milwaukee Brewers, the Toros affiliated with the Diamondbacks and changed their name to the Sidewinders. The Giants' affiliation was transferred to the displaced Tucson AAA franchise, which became the
Fresno Grizzlies until their reassignment to Low-A. In 2009, the Sidewinders franchise moved to
Reno, Nevada. They retained their affiliation with the Arizona Diamondbacks as the
Reno Aces, and play their home games at
Greater Nevada Field. The Tucson Toros returned under the same ownership as the Sidewinders, but they are not affiliated with a major league club. The new Toros played their home games at
Hi Corbett Field, the longtime home of minor league baseball in Tucson, until 2010. The Giants played their home games at Seals Stadium in 1958 and 1959, moving to
Candlestick Park in 1960. Seals Stadium was subsequently torn down to make way for a White Front store. When this chain of stores went out of business, the building stayed empty for some years. It was finally turned into a car dealership and later a
Safeway grocery store. The legacy of the Seals lives on in the Giants' mascot
Lou Seal, as well as in a statue of the Seals' cartoon mascot (c. 1947) at
Oracle Park, and with a marker on the 16th & Bryant sidewalk placed where Seals Stadium home plate stood. ==Rebirth in 1985==