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The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a minor league baseball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They play at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, located in the Bricktown Entertainment District in downtown Oklahoma City. The team was originally known as the Oklahoma City 89ers from 1962 to 1997 when the team played at All Sports Stadium (now demolished) at the state fairgrounds. The franchise's original name made reference to the Land Run of 1889, which led to the founding of Oklahoma City. Following the 1997 season, the team became the Oklahoma RedHawks. The city's first professional baseball name change in 35 years, corresponded to the team's move to its current home, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, and to the team's return to the Pacific Coast League in 1998.〔Hersom, Bob. 〕 The team was renamed the RedHawks after the red-tailed hawk, a bird of prey commonly seen throughout Oklahoma. When announcing the new name, team officials noted the raptor's four-foot wingspan and migration patterns, which always return the bird to Oklahoma. A hawk is also part of the state's official song.〔Hersom, Bob.〕 Prior to the 2009 season, the team once again named itself after its home city. The minor renaming was accompanied by new logos and a new color scheme.〔Patterson, Matt. ("RedHawks to unveil new logos and colors." ) NewsOK. August 22, 2008. Retrieved on September 26, 2008.〕 The team's name change to Oklahoma City RedHawks was made to honor the Oklahoma City fans who paid for the ballpark through a temporary one-cent sales tax to fund the Metropolitan Area Projects Plan or MAPS.〔Patterson, Matt.〕 The team was bought by the Dodgers after the 2014 season and renamed as the Oklahoma City Dodgers. ==History== Oklahoma City has been home to professional baseball for all but a few years since 1904, when the Metropolitans (Mets) started competing there.〔Rohde, John.〕 Oklahoma City's teams and names have changed numerous times since. Oklahoma City's team became known as the Indians in 1909 before returning to the original Mets name in 1910 and reverting again to the Indians name in 1911. Oklahoma City was home to the Senators in 1912. After one year without a baseball team, Oklahoma City's squad became the Boosters in 1914. The Senators name returned from 1915–16 and the Boosters name came back in 1917. The Oklahoma City Indians name returned in 1918 and the team name stuck until 1957 (the team did not compete during World War II).〔Rohde, John.〕 Oklahoma City's current baseball franchise began competing in 1962 as the 89ers following a four-year period without professional baseball in the area.〔Rohde, John.〕 After the Houston Buffaloes of the American Association were purchased for territorial rights by the Houston Colt .45s (later the Houston Astros) of the National League, the big league club decided to move their minor league club elsewhere. In July 1961, Spec Richardson, who was then general manager of the Houston Buffs, met with Oklahoma City officials and boosters, and agreed to move the team. After a unanimous approval from the American Association's board of directors, the current franchise began play in 1962 as the top affiliate of the Houston Colt .45s. Eventually, the Astros sold the team to Tulsa businessman, P. C. Dixon, in November 1970. In 1973, a three-year connection with the Cleveland Indians was established. A later affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies lasted from 1976 until 1982. In 1983, the Texas Rangers became the parent club, a relationship that would continue as the 89ers adopted new colors and uniforms along with the nickname "RedHawks" in 1998. On September 14, 2010, the Texas Rangers ownership announced that they were moving their Triple-A affiliation to the Round Rock Express (formerly the Astros' Triple-A affiliate).〔Cohn, Alex. ("Nolan Ryan And Rangers Nab Round Rock, Houston May Relocate Triple-A Team To Nashville." ) SB Nation. September 14, 2010. Retrieved on September 14, 2010.〕 On September 15 the RedHawks were sold to Mandalay Baseball Properties, which also owns or operates four other minor league baseball teams, and is part of the Mandalay Entertainment conglomerate chaired by entertainment industry executive Peter Guber. On September 20, Mandalay entered into a formal agreement for the RedHawks to become the Astros' new Triple-A affiliate.〔Zachary Levine, ("Astros cultivate farm system: Oklahoma City signs 2-year deal as AAA affiliate" ), ''Houston Chronicle'', September 21, 2010.〕〔David Falcheck, ("Mandalay buys Oklahoma RedHawks franchise" ), ''The Times-Tribune (Scranton)'', September 23, 2010.〕 Crowds are consistently large at the ballpark and the RedHawks have been very competitive, winning seven division titles in their 16 PCL seasons. On August 22, 2014, it was revealed that Mandalay would be selling the team and that the team's affiliation would be changing to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2015. On September 17, 2014, the RedHawks announced the sale of the franchise to a partnership between Mandalay Entertainment Chairman and CEO Peter Guber, other current principals of Mandalay Baseball Properties, Jason Sugarman, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a result of the purchase agreement, the RedHawks will be the Triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers beginning in 2015 and be renamed as the Oklahoma City Dodgers.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=RedHawks Announce Sale of Franchise )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Oklahoma City Dodgers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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