The Las Vegas baseball team’s history reaches back over a century. Born as the Portland Beavers in 1919, they captured fans’ hearts for decades before moving east to become the Spokane Indians in 1973. Ten years later, the team migrated again, finally settling into their current desert home as the Las Vegas Stars. 

When the Las Vegas Stars came to town in 1983 as the Triple-A farm club for the San Diego Padres, it marked the return of professional sports to the city after a 30-year absence. Not since the old Las Vegas Wranglers baseball team folded in ’58 had the locals enjoyed cheering on pros from the stands. 

In 2001, Las Vegas struck a deal to become the AAA club for the LA Dodgers. To highlight local quirks like Area 51 conspiracies about aliens, the newly dubbed “51s” rolled out a Roswell-esque logo with a big-headed alien and even introduced a mascot named Cosmo to play up the extraterrestrial mystique. It was a fun way to reinvent the team’s identity and draw some buzz.

Ahead of the 2019 season, the Las Vegas minor league team made several changes: a new two-year player development contract with the Oakland A’s through 2020, a new ballpark, and a new name – the Las Vegas Aviators.

The Aviators’ trophy cabinet is one to admire. They’ve won 2 league titles, 6 division titles (the latest in 2019), 4 first-half titles, and 3 second-half titles. Even more impressive, the team won both league titles and 5 of their 6 division titles within their first six seasons. 

Take flight with the Aviators – book your seats, and don’t miss out on the excitement of minor league baseball in Las Vegas!