The San Jose Athletics, or A’s, were a professional minor league baseball team that played one tumultuous season in 1933.
Team owner C.W. Hughes entered the 1933 California State League season with his new A’s team. The team played at Sodality Park in San Jose, which they shared with the San Jose Bees.
The Athletics were not a bad team, however during an August 27 game against the San Mateo Blues in San Mateo, the A’s catcher “Pop” Penebsky was ejected. A’s owner Hughes objected, arguing “Pop” did not call the umpire inflammatory names. Blues manager Fitzgerald stepped in to force “Pop” off the field, which did nothing to settle the argument.
Hughes pulled his team off the field and the season was declared over by league president Al Erle. The A’s took the forfeit, which put them in third place. The league allowed a championship between the Santa Cruz Padres and San Mateo Blues.
In 1934 W.C. Hughes was excluded from participating in the league, despite having a manager role lined up in Santa Cruz.
In the 1880s there was another Athletics team that played in San Jose at Agricultural Park.
