History
In 1887, the Des Moines Hawkeyes played in the Northwestern League - against such teams as the Minneapolis Millers and the Duluth Freezers - to mark the inaugural season of professional baseball here.
And for parts of three centuries - the 19th, 20th, and now the 21st - the national pastime would be an important part of life in the capital city.
Professional baseball would come and go as leagues and teams rose and folded. The Hawkeyes became the Colts and Prohibitionists of the Western Association. The Western League teams had nicknames that included Midgets, Undertakers, Underwriters, Champions, Champs, Boosters, Demons and Bruins. Since 1969, Des Moines has been fortunate to lay claim to a Triple-A franchise. The Iowa Oaks were among the six American Association teams that year. And in 1982, the Oaks became the Cubs - one year after they became the Chicago Cubs' top minor league team.
But there is more to the history of professional baseball in Des Moines than names and dates.
The first games in 1887 were played at Athletic Park on the old Polk County Fairgrounds in front of Seventh Street along the Raccoon River. And according to baseball historian Jay Sanford, here are some interesting anecdotes of the early years:
• In 1890, to attract fans to the ballpark, the team owners tried novelties such as balloon ascensions, Ladies' Day, parachute jumps and even a May Day festival. But because of low attendance, the franchise moved to Lincoln, Neb., in August that season.
• In 1894, baseball returned to Des Moines. Although the team was known as the Prohibitionists, one newspaper account noted that "Gambling syndicates are numerous and players are heavy drinkers."
• In 1896, Des Moines won an all-time Western League record 26 straight games, and many of the league teams pulled out. Still, because of lack of attendance, Des Moines' home games were moved to Ottumwa.
• In 1905 and 1906, Des Moines won the Western League pennant. The 1906 team included Eddie Cicotte, one of eight Chicago White Sox players later convicted of throwing the 1919 World Series.
• In 1910, the Des Moines team was forced to play on the road for six weeks due to poor support at home games.
• In 1914, Des Moines won four straight exhibition games from the Chicago White Sox.
• On May 2, 1930, the first night professional baseball game under permanent lights was played in Des Moines. The Demons defeated Wichita, 13-6.
•In 1947, professional baseball return after a 10-year absence as Pioneer Memorial Stadium was built on the current site of the stadium.
• On Sept. 2, 1959, Pioneer Memorial Stadium was renamed for long-time Des Moines Register sports editor Sec Taylor.
• In 1969, after seven years without professional baseball, the Iowa Oaks made their debut.
• In 1970, Iowa pitcher Vida Blue led the American Association with 165 strikeouts, including 16 in one game. Both records still stand.
• In 1973, the Oaks won 22 games in July en route to the American Association Eastern Division title.
• In 1981, the Oaks became an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. A year later the team changed name to the Iowa Cubs.
• On Aug. 21, 1984, Reggie Patterson threw a no-hitter against Omaha - the last Iowa pitcher to do so.
• In August 1990, Des Moines voters approved a bond issue to rebuild Sec Taylor Stadium. The new stadium opened in April 1992.
• In 1993, the Iowa Cubs won the American Association title.
• In 1997, the Iowa Cubs won the American Association Western Division title.
• In 1998, the Iowa Cubs won the Pacific Coast League Central Division title. A crowd of 13,660, then the largest ever at Sec Taylor, watched a Fourth of July fireworks show.
• In 2000, the Iowa Cubs set a franchise record with an attendance of 483,176.
• The Iowa Cubs won 24 of their last 32 regular season games to win the PCL Central Division title in 2001.
• In 2002, the Iowa Cubs broke the franchise record for attendance, topping the half-million mark for the first time. A total of 509,384 fans saw the Iowa Cubs play.
• On Aug. 5, 2004, Sec Taylor Stadium was renamed Principal Park. The Iowa Cubs won the PCL Central Division and American Conference titles.
• On June 24, 2005, a crowd of 13,669 - then the largest in stadium history - watches Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood in a rehab assignment start and a post-game fireworks show.
• In 2007, the Iowa Cubs set a new franchise record with 576,310 people passing through the gates at Principal Park.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between