Fresno joined the California League as one of the 8 original franchises for the inaugural 1941 season. For the first 13 seasons they were known as the Fresno Cardinals to match their Major League affiliate, the St, Louis Cardinals. St. Louis ended their affiliation with Fresno following the 1956 season and the team was renamed the Fresno Sun Sox and operated as an independent team. The New York Giants moved to San Francisco for the 1958 season and became the Major League Affiliate for Fresno. The team was renamed the Fresno Giants to match their new parent club and the affiliation lasted 30 seasons.  After the 1987 season, the San Francisco Giants switched their affiliate to San Jose. Fresno, without an affiliate, changed their name to the Suns and operated as an independent team for the 1988 season. Without an affiliate, low attendance, and a stadium in need of much improvements, the team was moved to Salinas and became the Salinas Spurs for the 1989 season. In 2020 MLB reorganized the structure of Minor League Baseball which brought Fresno back to the California League for the 2021 season at the expense of the Lancaster JetHawks. The Fresno Grizzlies had been a Triple-A team in the Pacific Coast League since 1998 and played at Chukchansi Park.