| abstract | - The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field. The Zephyrs joined the PCL after the 1997 season, when the American Association (AA) was disbanded. The Zephyrs were one of five clubs from the AA to join the PCL, with three joining the International League. Triple-A baseball was also expanded to 30 teams at that time, concurrent with the expansion of Major League Baseball. The Zephyrs won the 1998 Pacific Coast League championship and went on to win the Triple-A World Series against the Buffalo Bisons, 3–1. The Zephyrs were also slated to participate in the 2001 championship series with the Tacoma Rainiers, but the season was cancelled in the wake of the September 11 attacks, and both teams were named co-champions. The Zephyrs finished the 2005 season three days before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and though Zephyr Field sustained moderate damage, the team was able to open the 2006 season at home, making them the first professional team in New Orleans to do so after the hurricane. On May 5th and 6th, 2006 a game that became known as the Music City Marathon, the Zephyrs play 24 innings in Nashville, ultimately defeating the Sounds 5-4 the next day on a Wiki Gonzalez RBI single. The Z’s score once in the eighth and once in the ninth, and the teams remain tied through 18 innings before curfew is called. The 24 innings matches the longest game in PCL history, set in 1909, and the Z’s set 12 franchise records, including striking out a league-record 29 times. In 2008, the Zephyrs' season ended three days early due to the approach of Hurricane Gustav. When it became apparent that Gustav would hit the Gulf Coast on September 1, the Zephyrs cancelled their games of August 30 through September 1.
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