Editing Round Rock Express (section)

==History==
The ownership group led by Nolan Ryan and Don Sanders began its operations in Round Rock in 2000 as the [[Dell Diamond]] opened, moving the [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] [[Texas League]]'s [[Corpus Christi Hooks|Jackson Generals]] to the new park, affiliating with the [[Houston Astros]] and setting attendance records for the Double-A level. By 2003, [[Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi]] had offered the Ryan-Sanders group $20 million to build a stadium and move a professional franchise there, and the ownership group was convinced Round Rock could support Triple-A baseball.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2003/06/09/story1.html |newspaper=[[Houston Business Journal]] |last=Greer |first=Jim |date=June 30, 2003 |access-date=July 13, 2017 |title=Partners aim for a hit with baseball shuffle}}</ref>

[[File:Dell Diamond DM.jpg|thumb|left|An Express game at the [[Dell Diamond]] at night]]

Meanwhile, the [[Pacific Coast League]]'s [[Edmonton Trappers]] franchise, left isolated by the departure of the [[Calgary Cannons]] after the 2002 season for Albuquerque, was under pressure from the rest of the league to relocate to the United States. After the 2003 season, the Ryan group purchased the Trappers franchise with plans to relocate that franchise to Round Rock for 2005, once the Corpus Christi stadium would be ready for the Double-A franchise.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/eskimos-cash-in-selling-their-triple-a-team/article18434005/ |title=Eskimos cash in selling their Triple-A team |last1=Maki |first1=Allan |last2=Naylor |first2=David |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |access-date=July 13, 2017 |date=October 24, 2003}}</ref> The Triple-A club would carry on the Round Rock Express identity; the Double-A club would become the [[Corpus Christi Hooks]], and the Ryan group was able to negotiate an affiliation swap with the [[New Orleans Zephyrs]] to obtain the Astros' Triple-A affiliation for the newly-arriving PCL club.

In 2006, the Round Rock Express clinched the Southern Division of the league's American Conference with a win–loss record of 85–59. After defeating the [[Nashville Sounds]] in five games to take the American Conference championship, they advanced to the PCL championship series, but lost to the [[Tucson Sidewinders]] in three straight games.

In 2011, after 6 seasons of serving as the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, and 11 seasons of being affiliated with the Astros overall, the Express became the Triple-A affiliate of the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]]. Through the end of the 2018 season, attendance figures have dropped 8% since changing affiliations from Houston to Texas (see table below). Each of the top 9 season attendances all occurred in the 11 seasons the team was affiliated with Houston.

In 2016, ''[[Forbes]]'' listed the Express as the sixth-most valuable Minor League Baseball team with a value of $40 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Klebnikov |first=Sergei |url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/gkle45ffh/6-round-rock-express/#f462ae59b363 |title=Minor League Baseball's Most Valuable Teams – 6. Round Rock Express |website=[[Forbes]] |date=July 8, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2016}}</ref>

On September 20, 2018, the Express announced a 4-year Player Development Contract with the Houston Astros.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rome |first1=Chandler |title=Astros officially Announce Re-Affiliation with Round Rock Express |url=https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Astros-official-re-affiliation-Round-Rock-Express-13246066.php |access-date=September 20, 2018 |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=September 20, 2018}}</ref> In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minors after the 2020 season, the Astros opted to discontinue their affiliation with Round Rock, leaving them in need of a new major league affiliate.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Sugar-Land-Skeeters-Houston-Astros-AAA-affiliate-15732118.php |title=Astros to Make Sugar Land Skeeters their Class AAA Affiliate |website=Chron.com |publisher=Houston Chronicle |access-date=November 17, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |user=jjcoop36 |number=1329227313318334464 |date=November 18, 2020 |title=The Atlantic League has officially been informed by Sugar Land that the Skeeters have agreed to be the Astros Triple-A affiliate. Just further confirmation of the news broken by MarkBermanFox26}}</ref>

The Express later re-affiliated with the Texas Rangers for 2021 and were organized into the [[Triple-A West]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Reichard |first=Kevin|url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2020/12/09/rangers-return-to-round-rock-for-2021/ |title=Rangers Return to Round Rock for 2021 |website=Ballpark Digest |date=December 9, 2020 |access-date=December 10, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=JMayo2-12-2021>{{cite web|last=Mayo|first=Jonathan|title=MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/new-minor-league-baseball-structure|website=Major League Baseball|date=February 12, 2021|access-date=February 12, 2021}}</ref> Round Rock ended the season tied for second place in the Eastern Division with a 61–58 record.<ref name=MILB2021>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/standings/pacific-coast/2021?standingsType=firstHalf&standingsView=division|title=2021 Triple-A West Standings|website=Minor League Baseball|access-date=October 5, 2021}}</ref> No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner.<ref name=MiLB7-14-2021>{{cite news |url=https://www.milb.com/milb/news/triple-a-classification-to-add-10-games-to-2021-schedule |title=MiLB Announces 'Triple-A Final Stretch' for 2021 |website=Minor League Baseball |date=July 14, 2021 |accessdate=July 16, 2021}}</ref> However, 10&nbsp;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.<ref name=MiLB7-14-2021/> Round Rock finished the tournament tied for seventh place with a 6–4 record.<ref name=2021FinalStretch>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/standings/pacific-coast/2021|title=2021 Triple-A Final Stretch Standings|website=Minor League Baseball|access-date=October 5, 2021}}</ref> 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.<ref name=PCLrename>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/news/minor-league-baseball-historical-league-names-to-return-in-2022|title=Historical League Names to Return in 2022|website=Minor League Baseball|date=March 16, 2022|access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>

Playing under a split-season format in 2023 in which the teams with the best league-wide records at the end of each half qualified for the playoffs,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.milb.com/news/triple-a-national-championship-game-2023 |title=2023 Triple-A National Championship Game Set for Sept. 30 in Las Vegas |website=Minor League Baseball |date=March 28, 2023 |accessdate=March 28, 2023}}</ref> Round Rock won the second-half title at 45–30.<ref name=2023halfs>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/standings/pacific-coast/?standingsView=league|title=Standings|website=Minor League Baseball|access-date=September 28, 2023|archive-date=September 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928141552/https://www.milb.com/standings/pacific-coast/?standingsView=league}}</ref> Overall, the team posted the league's second-best record, 89–60.<ref name=2023BR>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=4ac4afa3|title=2023 Pacific Coast League|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=September 28, 2023|archive-date=September 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928141512/https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=4ac4afa3}}</ref> In a single round of playoffs to determine the PCL championship versus the [[Oklahoma City Dodgers]], winners of the first half, the Express were defeated, two games to none.<ref name=2023post>{{cite web |last=Weinrib |first=Ben|url=https://www.milb.com/news/oklahoma-city-dodgers-sweep-to-pacific-coast-league-crown |title=Seasoned Oklahoma City Sweeps to PCL Crown|website=Minor League Baseball |date=September 28, 2023 |access-date=September 28, 2023}}</ref>