Florida State League (1993-2014)
Tombstone
Born: February 26, 1993 – The Baseball City Royals relocate to Daytona Beach, FL
Re-branded: December 4, 2014 (Daytona Tortugas)
First Game: April 10, 1993 (W 4-0 @ Vero Beach Dodgers)
Last Game: September 8, 2014 (L 4-2 vs. Fort Myers Miracle)
Florida State League Champions: 1995, 2000, 2004 (co-champions), 2008, 2011 & 2013
Stadium
Jackie Robinson Ballpark (4,200)11996 Daytona Cubs Program
Opened: 1914
Ownership & Affiliation
Branding
Mascot: Cubby (the Bear) – Introduced for the 1994 season
Background
The Daytona Cubs were the Class A Florida State League farm club of the Chicago Cubs for 22 seasons between 1993 and 2014.
Original owner Jordan Kobritz purchased the Baseball City Royals from Anheuser-Busch and relocated to the team to Daytona Beach in early 1993. The move marked the return of Florida State League baseball to Jackie Robinson Ballpark for the first time since the Daytona Beach Admirals moved to St. Lucie at the end of the 1987 season.
Clutch Performers
The Daytona Cubs were notable for their remarkable fortunes in the postseason. In 21 seasons between 1993 and 2013, the Cubs qualified for the Florida State League playoffs six times. Daytona won the FSL championship in all six of those seasons, racking up an astounding 25-6 playoff record along the way.
In their final season as a Cubs farm team in 2014, Daytona earned a seventh visit to the Florida State League championship series. There they met the Fort Myers Miracle, a team that the Cubs had defeated for Florida State League crowns in 1995 and 2008. This time the Miracle finally got the best of Daytona, winning the series 3 games to 1. It was Daytona’s only playoff series loss in 22 seasons and these were also the final four games that Daytona would play under the Cubs name.
End of an Era
The 2014 championship series loss to the Miracle marked the end of an era in more ways than one. The Chicago Cubs stepped away from their partnership with Daytona after 22 seasons, replaced by the Cincinnati Reds. Rather than become the Daytona Reds, the Tortugas officials took the opportunity to re-brand the ball club. In December 2014 the team unveiled its new name and logo – the Daytona Tortugas.
Six months later, long-time owner Andy Rayburn, who had purchased the team from founder Jordan Kobritz in 2000, sold the Daytona franchise to Reese Smith III and Bob Fregolle.
The Tortugas continue to play in the Florida State League as of this writing in 2022.
Daytona Cubs Shop
Links
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