Triple-A baseball came to Iowa's capital city in 1969, as the Iowa Oaks of the American Association began play. The Oaks were affiliates of the Oakland A's (1969-73), the Chicago White Sox (1973-74 and 1976-80), and the Houston Astros (1975). In 1981 the team affiliated with the Chicago Cubs and adopted the nickname of the parent team, although it is often shortened to the "I-Cubs" by fans and media to avoid confusion with its parent. The team became part of the Pacific Coast League in 1998 after the dissolution of the American Association.
Their home park is Sec Taylor Stadium, located at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. Named after a former newspaper sports editor, the current park -- which replaced an older facility of the same name -- opened in 1992. The franchise attendance record of 509,384 was set in 2002.
Many future Cubs stars have played in Des Moines before they were called up to Wrigley Field. Some notable I-Cubs alumni include Greg Maddux, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark Grace, Kerry Wood, and Mark Prior.
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