New Orleans Baby Cakes

History

Professional baseball in New Orleans dates to the late 19th century, with the New Orleans Pelicans playing intermittently from 1887 to 1977 in the Southern Association. After the Pelicans left, the city had no professional team until 1993, when the Denver Zephyrs relocated to New Orleans. The move was led by Louisiana lawyer and business promoter Robert E. Couhig Jr. The name Zephyrs was retained, referencing the Zephyr Roller Coaster at the former Pontchartrain Beach amusement park. The team played in the American Association through 1997, then joined the Pacific Coast League in 1998. In 1998, the Zephyrs won the PCL championship and the Triple-A World Series against the Buffalo Bisons, 3–1. They were named co-champions with the Tacoma Rainiers in 2001 after the playoffs were cancelled following the September 11 attacks. The Zephyrs finished the last portion of their 2005 home games three days before Hurricane Katrina hit; Zephyr Field sustained moderate damage, but the team opened the 2006 season at home, the first professional team in New Orleans to do so after the hurricane. On May 5–6, 2006, the Zephyrs and Nashville Sounds played a 24-inning game in Nashville that lasted eight hours and seven minutes, matching the longest game in PCL history; New Orleans won 5–4 on a Wiki González RBI single, setting 12 franchise records including a league-record 29 strikeouts. In 2008, the Zephyrs' season ended three days early due to the approach of Hurricane Gustav, with games cancelled from August 30 through September 1.