Max Soriano, who partnered with brother Dewey Soriano to bring the Seattle Pilots to the American League, has passed away. He was 86.
Dewey Soriano was a longtime baseball entrepreneur in the Pacific Northwest. When the opportunity came to own an expansion franchise in 1969, he and Max put up $2 million for a 35 percent stake in the Pilots. After what can be charitably described as a disastrous season at Sicks’ Seattle Stadium, the franchise declared bankruptcy, with the intent of returning to Seattle, but a young and shrewd Allan “Bud” Selig swooped in, made the better bid in bankruptcy court and moved the team to Milwaukee right before the start of the 1970 season.
Soriano, an attorney practicing admiralty law, ended up being a big Mariners fan when that team came to town and never lost his passion for the game.
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