Las Vegas Stars (1983–2000) The Las Vegas
Pacific Coast League franchise traces its roots to the
Portland Beavers who entered the PCL in 1919 after a two-year hiatus. The team relocated to
Spokane, Washington, in 1973, becoming the
Spokane Indians. The franchise moved once again in 1983, becoming the Las Vegas Stars. The Stars, who were the
Triple-A affiliate of the
San Diego Padres, became the first professional sports team to play in Las Vegas since the
Las Vegas Quicksilvers soccer club who played a single season in 1977. The Stars' inaugural season was quite successful, posting an 83–60 record and winning the first-half championship for the Southern Division leading to a playoff berth, but eventually losing to the
Albuquerque Dukes. The following season, the Stars posted another successful campaign, going 71–65 and winning their second division championship (first half), but ultimately losing in the league semifinals to the
Hawaii Islanders. After a dismal 1985 campaign, the Stars finished the 1986 season with an 80–62 record and won the second half of the Southern Division. In the league semifinals, the Stars defeated the
Phoenix Firebirds, 3–2, and went on to win their first
PCL championship, defeating the
Vancouver Canadians in five games. The Stars won their second PCL championship in 1988, once again defeating Vancouver, this time in four games. After winning five division titles and two league championships in their first six years, the Stars hit a skid, posting a .500 or better record only four times and winning shares of only two division championships in the following 12 years. The Stars were unable to advance past the first round of the playoffs in both seasons that they qualified. The team's affiliation with the Padres ended after the 2000 season.
Las Vegas 51s (2001–2018) at
Cashman Field in 2008 In 2001, Las Vegas became the top farm club of the
Los Angeles Dodgers. The new affiliation was accompanied by rebranding to the Las Vegas 51s in reference to
Area 51, a military base located north-northwest of Las Vegas legendary for rumors of its housing
UFOs and other
extraterrestrial technology. The team adopted a logo featuring a grey alien head and introduced an extraterrestrial mascot named Cosmo. A new affiliate, moniker, and appearance did not translate into improved performance on the field. The 51s experienced only two winning seasons during their eight years as the Triple-A Dodgers. Their only division title came under manager
Brad Mills in 2002 as the team posted the best record in the league at 85–59, but lost three games to one to the eventual PCL champion
Edmonton Trappers. On March 24, 2008,
Mandalay Baseball Properties sold the 51s franchise to Stevens Baseball Group. There were no plans to move the team, and talks of building a new stadium to replace the ageing
Cashman Field became stagnant. The Dodgers and the 51s had a rocky relationship during their eight-year affiliation. The Dodgers were not pleased with Cashman Field, which barely met the standards for Triple-A baseball. It had no weight room or indoor batting cages, and it was decrepit compared to other stadiums in the league. Citing the inadequacies of Cashman and lack of planning for a replacement, Los Angeles decided not to renew their player development contract (PDC) with Las Vegas after the 2008 season. Following the departure of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the 51s signed a PDC with the
Toronto Blue Jays, marking the first time that the 51s were affiliated with an
American League club. The only time the team finished over .500 with the Blue Jays was in 2012 when
Marty Brown led the team to a 79–64 second-place finish. The Blue Jays ended their affiliation with the 51s after the season. In April 2013, the team was purchased for $20 million by Summerlin Las Vegas Baseball Club, a 50/50 joint venture of
The Howard Hughes Corporation and Play Ball Owners Group, including investors Steve Mack, Bart Wear, and Chris Kaempfer, with intentions of moving it to a proposed stadium in
Summerlin near the
Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino. Howard Hughes later bought out the Play Ball group in 2017, becoming the sole owner of the team. They won back-to-back division titles in 2013 and 2014 under manager
Wally Backman, but were eliminated in the Pacific Conference championship series on both occasions. In 2017 the 51s became one of the first teams to participate in the
Copa de la Diversión initiative and for selected games played as the Reyes de Plata ("Silver Kings"). The name was a nod to Nevada being the "
Silver State" and a homage to the contribution migrant workers made to the mining industry of Nevada. In October 2017, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority approved a 20-year, $80 million naming rights agreement to help pay for the new $150 million 10,000-seat ballpark which opened in 2019.
Las Vegas Ballpark, located in Summerlin, includes 22 suites, a center field pool, kids' zone, and several bars. Construction began in 2018 and was completed for the 2019 season. In late 2017, the Mets announced plans to move its Triple-A affiliation to the
Syracuse Mets beginning in 2019, meaning the 51s would be in need of a new major league affiliate.
Las Vegas Aviators (2019–present) playing for the Aviators in 2023 Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, Las Vegas signed a two-year PDC with the then
Oakland Athletics that ran through 2020. In addition to having a new major league affiliate in 2019 and playing in a new ballpark, the team also changed its name to the Las Vegas Aviators. The name is in reference to aviation pioneer
Howard Hughes. The team's new logo depicts a pilot wearing a flight helmet and utilizes their new color scheme of navy blue, orange, tangerine, gold, yellow, and gray. Las Vegas secured the win with a five-run second inning in which
Skye Bolt scored the winning run when he came home on a fielding error. With the 2021
Major League Baseball restructuring of Minor League Baseball, the Aviators were organized into the
Triple-A West. Las Vegas ended the season in third place in the Western Division with a 62–58 record. No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner. However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage. In 2022, the Triple-A West became known as the Pacific Coast League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. In 2024, ownership of the team and stadium transferred to
Seaport Entertainment Group, a
spin-off from Howard Hughes Holdings. The Aviators qualified for the 2025 postseason with a first-half title win. They defeated the
Tacoma Rainiers, 2–0, to win the PCL championship. In the
Triple-A National Championship Game versus the
International League champion
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Las Vegas was defeated, 8–7. ==Season-by-season records==