The Seattle Pilots: Short Flight Into History

The Inside Story of Major League Baseball's One Year Team

The city of Seattle has a rich baseball tradition dating back to the late 19th century. Seattle teams were mainstays of Northwest baseball leagues for decades and drew enthusiastic fans who loved the game and dreamed that one day the major leagues would come to their town. After waiting nearly a century, they finally got their wish. In the spring of 1969, the Seattle Pilots took the field to play Major League Baseball in the Emerald City.

Although this motley collection of past-their-prime veterans and untested rookies played in a rickety old stadium and lost 98 games, fans justifiably thought that the 1969 season was just the first in what would be a long and storied major league voyage for the Pilots

But they were in for a big surprise.

During spring training of 1970, as the Pilots players were preparing for their second season, Dewey and Max Soriano, the beleaguered owners, sold the franchise to Alan H. “Bud” Selig who moved the team to Milwaukee. The Pilots became the Brewers and went down in baseball history as the only Major League team in the modern era to play only one year in a city.

What happened? Opinions vary and recollections are hazy, but one thing is for sure: the Pilots may have only existed for one season, but they have not been forgotten. Thanks to the uniqueness of their one year existence and the popularity of Pilots pitcher Jim Bouton’s best-selling memoir Ball Four, the team lives on in the hearts of baseball fans all over the world.

The Seattle Pilots: Short Flight Into History, uncovers the reasons why the team left Seattle and why the team retains its place in baseball lore four decades after taking the field for the last time. Featuring interviews with ex-players, administrators, broadcasters and historians, this film is a celebration of the team, its players and the fans who refuse to forget.