New Orleans Zephyrs

History

Professional baseball in New Orleans dates to the late 19th century, with the New Orleans Pelicans being the city's longest-running team, playing intermittently from 1887 to 1977 in the Southern Association. After the Pelicans departed following the 1977 season, the city had no professional team until 1993. That year, the Denver Zephyrs relocated to New Orleans after the arrival of the Colorado Rockies expansion team forced them out of Denver. Louisiana lawyer and business promoter Robert E. Couhig Jr. led the relocation effort. The name "Zephyrs" was retained because the Zephyr Roller Coaster had been a popular ride at the now-closed Pontchartrain Beach amusement park. The team played in the American Association through 1997, then joined the Pacific Coast League in 1998 after the American Association disbanded. In 1998, the Zephyrs won the PCL championship and defeated the Buffalo Bisons 3–1 in the Triple-A World Series. They were also named co-champions of the PCL in 2001 with the Tacoma Rainiers after the playoffs were cancelled following the September 11 attacks. The team finished its 2005 home schedule three days before Hurricane Katrina struck; Zephyr Field sustained moderate damage, but the Zephyrs opened the 2006 season at home, becoming the first professional New Orleans team to do so after the hurricane. On May 5–6, 2006, the Zephyrs and Nashville Sounds played a 24-inning game at Nashville's Herschel Greer Stadium, lasting eight hours and seven minutes over two days. The game matched the longest in PCL history by innings; New Orleans won 5–4 on a Wiki González RBI single, setting 12 franchise records including a league-record 29 strikeouts. In 2008, the season ended three days early due to the approach of Hurricane Gustav, with games from August 30 through September 1 cancelled.