The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007.

History

The Midwest League came to Battle Creek, in 1995 after the franchise formerly known as the Madison Hatters moved. The team was first known as the Battle Creek Golden Kazoos. Due to a trademark dispute and general fan dissatisfaction with the name (which is a nickname for the nearby city of Kalamazoo), the name was changed to the Michigan Battle Cats on March 9, 1995.

The team was affiliated with the Boston Red Sox (1995–98) and Houston Astros (1999–2002). The team changed its name to the Battle Creek Yankees after becoming an affiliate of the New York Yankees in 2003. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays took over affiliation of the team after the 2004 season, and the team name was changed to the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays.

In January 2006, the Devil Rays were sold to the non-profit Michigan Baseball Foundation and relocated to Midland, Michigan, in 2007. The team was renamed the Great Lakes Loons. A lack of interest from the Battle Creek community was the main reason for the move. Reduced ticket prices (even a night when fans were actually offered a dollar to come to that night's game) failed to pique the interest of local residents.

Naming rights for the Loons' stadium were purchased by Dow Chemical, which is headquartered in Midland. The company named the stadium "Dow Diamond." Ground was broken on the stadium on April 11, 2006, with construction taking 367 days to complete. In September 2006, the team announced its new affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In November 2006, the Loons named Lance Parrish as the team's first manager since the move to Michigan's Tri-City Area. The first home game was played on April 13, 2007.

After nine seasons in Midland, the Loons went through an overhaul of their logos and brand heading into its 10th season in 2016.

On September 18, 2016, the Loons clinched their first Midwest League championship following a 9–8 victory over the Seattle Mariners-affiliated Clinton LumberKings. The Loons won the championship series 3–1, following three-game series victories over the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays) and West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers) in the previous rounds. The Loons were managed by Gil Velazquez.

The Loons have hosted the Midwest League All-Star Game on two occasions (2008 and 2017).

On August 23, 2019, the Loons hosted their largest crowd ever of 6,671 people.

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Loons were organized into the High-A Central. In 2022, the High-A Central became known as the Midwest League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.

Season-by-season records Michigan Battle Cats (1995–2002) Season Record Finish Manager Playoffs 1995 75–62 4th DeMarlo Hale Lost League Finals 1996 60–78 11th Tom Barrett 1997 70–67 4th Billy Gardner, Jr. Lost in 1st round 1998 79–61 2nd (t) Billy Gardner, Jr. Lost in 1st round 1999 76–62 3rd Al Pedrique Lost in 1st round 2000 82–56 2nd Al Pedrique League champions 2001 82–55 3rd John Massarelli Lost in 1st round 2002 79–61 4th John Massarelli Lost in 1st round Battle Creek Yankees (2003–2004) Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs 2003 73–64 3rd Mitch Seoane Lost in 2nd round 2004 71–68 9th Mitch Seoane (13–18) / Bill Mosiello (58–50) Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (2005–2006) Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs 2005 72–67 4th (t) Joe Szekely Lost in 1st round to SB 2006 62–77 12th Skeeter Barnes Great Lakes Loons (2007–present) Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs 2007 57–82 5th Lance Parrish 2008 54–85 6th Juan Bustabad 2009 81–59 2nd Juan Bustabad Lost in 2nd round to FW 2010 90–49 1st Juan Bustabad Lost in 2nd round to LC 2011 72–67 4th John Shoemaker 2012 67–73 6th John Shoemaker 2013 67–72 5th Razor Shines Lost in 1st round to SB 2014 66–73 4th Bill Haselman 2015 68–69 7th Luis Matos Lost in 1st round to LAN 2016 65–75 6th Gil Velazquez League champions 2017 69–70 5th Jeremy Rodriguez 2018 60–77 6th John Shoemaker Lost in 1st round to West Michigan 2019 81-55 1st John Shoemaker Lost in 2nd Round to South Bend2020Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)202163-573rdAustin ChubbLost in Division Championships to Lake County202276-552ndAustin Chubb202376-551stDaniel NavaLost in League Championship to Cedar Rapids202469-613rdJair FernandezLost in Division Championships to Dayton202572-583rdJair Fernandez

Mascot Lou E. Loon is the team mascot and Ambassador of Fun for the team. He's a bird who dances at home games and make public appearances. The kids' play area at the diamond is named Lou E.'s Lookout in his honor. He often leads fans in his signature cheer, the "Funky Feather", which won "Best In-Game Promotion of the Year" in 2009 for Minor League Baseball. In 2024, Lou E Loon was voted as runner up for the best minor league mascot by USA Today's Reader Choice Awards.

"Rall E. Camel" was introduced as the team's second mascot in April 2012. He is an deputy ambassador of mischief to the staff of the Great Lakes Loons.

Roster

Notable Great Lakes Loons alumni

Scott Barlow Rafael Betancourt (1996) John Buck (1999–2000) MLB All-Star Walker Buehler (2016) Combined no-hitter Melky Cabrera (2004) MLB All-Star Tyler Clippard (2004) 2-time MLB All-Star Wade Davis (2006) 3-time MLB All-Star Justin Duchscherer (1997) 2-time MLB All-Star Dee Gordon (2009) 2-time MLB All-Star; 2015 NL batting title Shea Hillenbrand (1997–1998) 2-time MLB All-Star Kenley Jansen (2007–2008) 2-time MLB All-Star John Jaso (2005) Clayton Kershaw (2007) 8-time MLB All-Star; 5-time NL ERA title (2011–2014, 2016); 3-time NL Cy Young Award (2011, 2013–2014); 3-time World Series Champion (2020, 2024, 2025) Jason Lane (2000) Aaron Miles (1997) Roy Oswalt (1999) 3-time MLB All-Star; 2006 NL ERA title Lance Parrish (2007, MGR) 8-time MLB All-Star Carl Pavano (1997) MLB All-Star Joc Pederson (2011) 2-time MLB All-Star Chad Qualls (2001) Tim Redding (1999) Bubby Rossman (2015) Carlos Santana (2007) All-Star Johan Santana 4-time MLB All-Star; 3-time AL ERA title (2004, 2006, 2008); 2-time AL Cy Young Award (2004, 2006) Corey Seager (2014) 5-time MLB All-Star (2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024); 2016 NL Rookie of the Year; 2-time World Series MVP & Champion (2020, 2023)

See also WLUN (sports radio station owned by the Loons)

Sources

References

External links

Official website