Round Rock Express
From SoSH
| Location: | Round Rock, Texas |
| Established: | 1979 |
| MLB Affiliation: | Houston Astros |
| League: | Pacific Coast League |
| Level: | AAA |
| Ballpark: | Dell Diamond |
| Championships: | 6 (1984, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002) |
| Division Titles: | 10 |
| Wild Card: |
The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team based in Round Rock, TX. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros.
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Franchise History
From 2000 to 2004, the Express was a Double-A team in the Texas League, also affiliated with the Astros. The Express ownership group is led by (and the team is named after) Hall of Fame pitcher and Texas native Nolan Ryan; his sons Reid and Reese hold executive positions.
The Ryans' group purchased the PCL Edmonton Trappers franchise in 2003 with the intention of moving the team to Round Rock after the 2004 season. At that time, the Trappers were affiliated with the Montreal Expos. The Express group wanted to maintain its affiliation with the Astros at the Round Rock site; therefore, the Trappers/Express franchise exchanged major league affiliates after the 2004 season with the New Orleans Zephyrs. Several weeks after this switch, the Expos announced their move to Washington, D.C. as the Washington Nationals. In terms of players on the roster, the 2005 Round Rock Express contained a mixture of players from the 2004 New Orleans Zephyrs (players that stayed at Triple-A) and the 2004 Round Rock Express (promoted from Double-A); the 2004 Edmonton Trappers players were either playing as New Orleans Zephyrs or Washington Nationals.
The Round Rock Express play home games at Dell Diamond. The original Express franchise has remained under Ryan ownership. After the purchase of the Triple-A PCL franchise, the Ryans announced that the Double-A Texas League club would move to Corpus Christi, Texas for the 2005 season. That franchise remains the Double-A affiliate of the Astros as the Corpus Christi Hooks.
In 2006, two seasons after moving from Edmonton, the Round Rock Express clinched the Southern Division of the league's American Conference with a win–loss record of 85–59. After defeating the Nashville Sounds in five games to take the American Conference championship, they advanced to the PCL Championship Series, but lost to the Tucson Sidewinders in three straight games.
Major League Affiliations
- Houston Astros (2000–Present)
- Montreal Expos (2003-2004)
- Minnesota Twins (2001-2002)
- Anaheim Angels (1999-2000)
- Oakland Athletics (1995-1998)
- Florida Marlins (1993-1994)
- California Angels (1983-1992)
- Chicago White Sox (1981-1982)
- Oakland Athletics (1979-1980)
Franchise Names
- Round Rock Express (2000–Present)
- Edmonton Trappers (1981-2004)
- Ogden A's (1979-1980)
