The 50th season of Triple-A baseball in Des Moines begins Thursday when the Iowa Cubs host the Oklahoma City Dodgers in a Pacific Coast League doubleheader at 2:00 p.m. . The franchise debuted in 1969 as the Iowa Oaks in the American Association and an affiliate of the Oakland A’s.

In addition to the affiliation with the Cubs,which started in 1981,I-Cubs officials say the other development that helped establish the long term success of the franchise was the opening of Principal Park in 1992.