The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, which opened in 1998 in the city's Bricktown district.
The team was originally known as the Oklahoma City 89ers from 1962 to 1997 and played at All Sports Stadium. The 89ers competed in the Triple-A American Association (AA) in 1962, moved to the Pacific Coast League from 1963 to 1968, and returned to the AA from 1969 to 1997. After the American Association disbanded, the 89ers rejoined the PCL in 1998 and have been members of it since, including the 2021 season when it was known as the Triple-A West. The team renamed itself the Oklahoma RedHawks from 1998 to 2008 and the Oklahoma City RedHawks from 2009 to 2014. The franchise affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 and changed its name to the Oklahoma City Dodgers. The team was temporarily called the Oklahoma City Baseball Club for the 2024 season before becoming the Comets in 2025.
Oklahoma City has won six league championships. The 89ers won the PCL championship in 1963 and 1965 as the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Colt .45s/Astros. They later won the American Association championship in 1992 and 1996 with the Texas Rangers. Oklahoma City won their third PCL championship in 2023 and their fourth in 2026, both as affiliates of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Comets won the Triple-A National Championship Game in 2026.
History Oklahoma City Mets and Indians (1904–1957) Oklahoma City has been home to professional baseball for all but a few years since 1904, when the Metropolitans (Mets) were established as the city's first team. Oklahoma City's teams and names have changed numerous times since. The 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 to 1916, but 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).
Oklahoma City 89ers (1962–1997) Oklahoma City's current baseball franchise began competing in 1962 as the Oklahoma City 89ers following a four-year period without professional baseball in the area. The franchise's original name made reference to the Land Run of 1889, which led to the founding of Oklahoma City.
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 the Buffs elsewhere. In July 1961, Spec Richardson, who was then general manager of the 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. The 89ers moved to the Pacific Coast League after the AA went on hiatus in 1963, and won the PCL championship in 1963 and 1965. They returned to the AA in 1969.
The Astros divested the team to Tulsa businessman, P. C. Dixon, in November 1970. The franchise affiliated with Cleveland from 1973 and 1975 and with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1976 until 1982.
The Texas Rangers became the parent club in 1983. The 89ers won the American Association championship in 1992 and 1996 as top affiliate of the Rangers.
Oklahoma and Oklahoma City RedHawks (1998–2014) The franchise moved to the new Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in 1998. In the same year, they returned to the PCL after the AA dissolved, and changed their name to the Oklahoma RedHawks. 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 that always return the bird to Oklahoma. They also noted that the state song mentions a hawk.
Pitcher Dustin Nippert recorded the first RedHawks no-hitter on June 29, 2008, against the Omaha Royals at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. The Redhawks won the seven-inning game, the first of a doubleheader, 2–0. Nippert walked two batters and struck out five in the first Oklahoma City professional baseball no-hitter since August 13, 1996, when Rick Helling recorded a perfect game for the 89ers.
Before the 2009 season, the team added "City" to its name to honor residents who paid for the ballpark through a temporary one-cent sales tax to fund the Metropolitan Area Projects Plan, or MAPS.Patterson, Matt. The renamed Oklahoma City RedHawks also introduced new logos and a new color scheme.
Pitcher Luis Mendoza pitched the team's first nine-inning no-hitter on August 14, 2009, against the Salt Lake Bees at Bricktown Ballpark. He threw 125 pitches, including 74 for strikes. He walked six and struck out six batters in the 5–0 win.
Six players have hit three home runs in a single game. Adrián González became the first to accomplish the offensive feat on May 24, 2005, at Albuquerque. He went 3-for-4 with five RBI. All three of Nelson Cruz's hits on July 19, 2008, against Memphis were home runs. He went 3-for-5 with five RBI in the game. Nate Gold went 4-for-5 with three homers and four RBI on July 28, 2008, at Colorado Springs. Chad Tracy hit three homers on June 27, 2010, against Omaha, finishing the game 3-for-3 with five RBI. Mike Hessman went 4-for-4 with three homers on June 3, 2012, against Iowa.Ed Godfrey, "OKC RedHawks: Mike Hessman is the RedHawks' version of Crash Davis" , The Oklahoman, June 5, 2012. Matt Duffy went 3-for-4 with three homers and three RBI on June 9, 2014, against Salt Lake.
Gregorio Petit is the lone OKC player to record two grand slams in one game, accomplishing the feat on June 22, 2010, at New Orleans.
On September 14, 2010, the Texas Rangers' owners 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 owned or operated 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 agreed to make the RedHawks 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 Scranton Times-Tribune, September 22, 2010.
In 2011, Anderson Hernandez put together the longest hitting streak in team history: 30 gamed from August 2 to September 2.
The 2013 Redhawks made numerous entries into the club's record book. The RedHawks set the team record for most runs scored in a game at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and tied the club record for most runs scored in a game overall in a 24–5 win against Colorado Springs on August 3, 2013."RedHawks tie team record in 24–5 win" , The Oklahoman, August 3, 2013.
The 2013 squad also compiled the longest overall and home winning streaks in club history. The RedHawks won 12 straight games overall from July 26 to August 6. They continued winning at home, stringing together 17 consecutive wins at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark from July 26 to August 20.Mike Baldwin, "OKC RedHawks: RedHawks' 17-game win streak at home snapped", The Oklahoman, August 26, 2013.
Oklahoma City Dodgers (2015–2023)
After the 2014 season, 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 became the Triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers in 2015 and were renamed after their parent club, becoming the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
The 2015 OKC Dodgers set a new modern-era mark for wins, finishing the regular season with the best record in the PCL at 86-58 and going on to win the American Northern Division title. The last OKC team to win at least 86 games was the 1965 Oklahoma City 89ers (91–54). The 2015 team also set single-season team records for road wins (44), fewest runs allowed (608), and fewest home runs allowed (89). The team stood 30 games above .500 (85–55) during the season, the first time the team reached that mark in its modern PCL history. OKC Dodgers manager Damon Berryhill was named 2015 PCL Manager of the Year, becoming the first OKC manager to win the honor since Greg Biagini in 1999.
Corey Seager became the second OKC player in the PCL era to record six hits in a game when he went 6-for-6 at Salt Lake City on May 28, 2015, including a home run and two doubles. Seager collected six RBI and scored two runs. Jeff Pickler was the first OKC player in the modern era to accomplish the feat June 22, 2004, at Albuquerque, going 6-for-6 with a double, triple, and RBI.
The 2016 OKC Dodgers claimed a second straight 80-win regular season and picked up back-to-back PCL American Northern Division championships. They advanced to the PCL Championship Series for the first time since 2008.
The 2016 Dodgers posted a 3.72 team ERA to establish a new club record during the PCL era and the OKC pitching staff racked up a league-leading 1,245 strikeouts to set the PCL modern era record for strikeouts in just 141 games. The Dodgers allowed a league-low 372 walks, also the fewest allowed by an OKC team during the PCL era. Pitcher Jose De Leon became the first OKC pitcher to record five double-digit strikeout games in one season.
The record-breaking continued for the OKC Dodgers in 2017. The team broke its own record for strikeouts as Dodgers pitchers combined for 1,277 strikeouts during the season.
Right-handed starting pitcher Wilmer Font led the charge and paced all of Triple-A baseball with 178 strikeouts and set OKC's all-time single-season strikeout record (since 1998). He tied former Dodger Jose De Leon's club record by compiling five games with at least 10 strikeouts. Font racked up a team-record 15 strikeouts on May 15 against Sacramento at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and went on to be named the PCL Pitcher of the Year.
The Dodgers recorded back-to-back-to-back home runs for the first time in modern team history (since 1998) June 9, 2017, against Round Rock in Oklahoma City. With one out in the first inning, Joc Pederson, Scott Van Slyke, and Willie Calhoun each homered within a span of five pitches.
The third-largest crowd in Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark history was on hand to watch a rehab appearance by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw August 26, 2017, against the Omaha Storm Chasers. A standing-room-only crowd of 13,106 was the largest in OKC since April 18, 1998 – the third game ever played at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.