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Ottawa Lynx

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Ottawa Lynx
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesTriple-A (1993–2007)
LeagueInternational League (1993–2007)
DivisionNorth Division
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles (1)1995
Wild card berths (1)2003
Team data
Previous names
Ottawa Lynx (1993–2007)
Previous parks
  • JetForm Park (1993–2002)

The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal Expos (1993–2002), Baltimore Orioles (2003–2006), and Philadelphia Phillies (2007). At the time, it was the only IL franchise in Canada.

In late August 2006, the league approved the conditions to negotiate the sale of the team. The new owners moved the team to Allentown, Pennsylvania, beginning with the 2008 season, where it became known as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.[1]

History

In 1991, Ottawa businessman and then Ottawa 67's owner Howard Darwin was successful in applying to the IL for an expansion franchise to begin play in 1993, at a cost of $5 million. The Lynx became the second IL franchise to play in Ottawa, after the former Ottawa Giants and Ottawa Athletics of the 1950s. The application was contingent on the City of Ottawa building a baseball stadium for the team. Lynx Stadium was completed in time for the 1993 season.

Lynx Stadium, home of the Ottawa Lynx

The Lynx began play in 1993, serving as the top farm team for the Montreal Expos. The team won the International League championship in 1995, the only time it would do so. During this period, the Lynx featured such future Major League Baseball players as Rondell White, Cliff Floyd, Matt Stairs, Kirk Rueter, and F.P. Santangelo. The Lynx eventually retired two numbers: Santangelo's 24, and Jamey Carroll's 3.

In 2000, Darwin sold his shares in the team to Ray Pecor for $7 million. According to news reports, Pecor lost $1 million annually on the team due to low attendance.[2]

In 2003, the Lynx were not given any assurances from either the Montreal Expos or Major League Baseball on the long-term future of the Expos. They became the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles on September 24, 2002.[3] As a result, Montreal shifted its affiliation to the Edmonton Trappers of the Pacific Coast League. The Lynx's working agreement with the Orioles ended when the latter signed a Player Development Contract with the Norfolk Tides on September 25, 2006.[4]

In 2006, the ball club was sold to Joe Finley and Craig Stein, while Pecor maintained a minority stake. Finley and Stein declared their intention to move the team to Allentown, Pennsylvania, for the 2008 season, where a new stadium was set to begin construction that September (now built as Coca-Cola Park).[5][6] The owners, facing a lawsuit from the City of Ottawa if they moved the Lynx, filed a lawsuit of their own against the City of Ottawa on October 17, 2006, seeking $10.75 million in damages claiming that the city failed to provide enough parking spaces, which, the team alleged, was a violation of its lease. The location far from the city centre might have contributed to the attendance problem.[7]

The team played its last game in Ottawa on September 3, 2007, losing to the Syracuse Chiefs, 8–5. The Ottawa Lynx ultimately won exactly 1,000 games before leaving Ottawa.[8]

Titles

The Lynx won the Governors' Cup, the championship of the International League, once by defeating the Norfolk Tides in 1995.

Season-by-season records

Ottawa Lynx (1993–2007)
Season Total Finished Playoffs
1993 73–69 .514 Did not qualify
1994 70–72 .493 Did not qualify
1995 72–70 .507 Won Opening Round over Rochester Red Wings 3–2
Won Governors' Cup Championship vs. Norfolk Tides 3–1
1996 60–82 .423 Did not qualify
1997 54–86 .386 Did not qualify
1998 69–74 .483 Did not qualify
1999 59–85 .410 Did not qualify
2000 53–88 .376 Did not qualify
2001 68–76 .472 Did not qualify
2002 80–61 .567 Did not qualify
2003 79–65 .549 Lost Opening Round to Pawtucket Red Sox 3–2
2004 66–78 .458 Did not qualify
2005 69–75 .479 Did not qualify
2006 74–69 .517 Did not qualify
2007 55–88 .385 Did not qualify
Regular Season Totals 1,001–1,138 .468 —
Postseason Totals 8–6 .571 —
Regular and Postseason Totals 1,009–1,144 .469 1 League Championship

Alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ Topic Galleries - themorningcall.com[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Brennan, Don (July 14, 2007). "Lynx to IronPigs isn't yet iron clad". Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  3. ^ "Orioles sign affiliation with Ottawa," Baltimore Orioles press release, Tuesday, September 24, 2002.
  4. ^ "Tides sign affiliation agreement with Baltimore Orioles," Baltimore Orioles press release, Monday, September 25, 2006. Archived August 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Lynx sold, set to leave Ottawa in 2008". CBC News. 2006-08-29. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  6. ^ "Lynx sold; franchise headed for Allentown". Ottawa Citizen. 2006-08-28. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  7. ^ "Lynx sue Ottawa for $10.75M over parking". The Ottawa Citizen. October 18, 2006.
  8. ^ "box score of last game". Retrieved 2008-01-15.
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