Lethbridge Black Diamonds

Lethbridge Black Diamonds
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesRookie Advanced
LeaguePioneer League (baseball)
DivisionNorth Division
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles none
Team data
Previous names
  • Black Diamonds (1996–1998)
  • Mounties (1992–1995)
Previous parks
Henderson Stadium

The Lethbridge Black Diamonds were a minor league baseball team located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.[1] The team was previously known as the Lethbridge Mounties from 1992–1995[2] before becoming the Lethbridge Black Diamonds from 1996–1998. They were one of the first two farm clubs of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Only 16 months after Arizona was granted a major league baseball franchise, the first farm club — the Lethbridge Black Diamonds — took the field.[3] The team started playing two years before their parent club even played a game. The team played their first game in June 1996, whereas the Arizona Diamondbacks started playing in April 1998.[3] The team played in the Pioneer League,[4] which is a rookie league, with a shortened season, in Minor League Baseball.[5] Their home stadium was Henderson Stadium.[1] In 1999, the team was moved and became the Missoula Osprey.[6]

  1. ^ a b Henderson Stadium at digitalballparks.com, URL accessed July 1, 2010. Archived 07-01-10
  2. ^ Lethbridge Team History at thebaseballcube.com, URL accessed July 1, 2010. Archived 07-01-10
  3. ^ a b D-Backs' minor league affiliate begins play tonight at google.com/newspaper, URL accessed November 11, 2011.
  4. ^ Pioneer League (Rookie) Encyclopedia and History at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed July 1, 2010. Archived 07-01-10
  5. ^ Minor League Baseball Rookie at wikipedia.org, URL accessed November 10, 2011.
  6. ^ Raising the Boys of Summer by Chad Dundas at missoulanews.bigskypress.com, URL accessed July 1, 2010. Archived 07-01-10