The Columbus Catfish were a minor league baseball team in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

. They were a Class A team in the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

, and were an affiliate of the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

for the

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

seasons. The Catfish relocated to

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. As of the 2 ...

for the

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

season and are now known as the

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which open ...

. The Catfish played home games at

Golden Park Golden Park is a 5,000-seat baseball stadium in Columbus, Georgia, United States, that opened in 1951. Located on the Chattahoochee River in Downtown Columbus, it is currently home to the Columbus Chatt-a-Hoots as of 2021 . The exterior of the ...

. The team colors were royal blue, peach, and sand. The name "Catfish" referred to the

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

of the same name, which is commonly eaten in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and is often harvested from the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatta ...

. The city of Columbus and Golden Park itself lie on the Chattahoochee. The peach in the Catfish logo indicates that they are from the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and not the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. In 2007, the Catfish swept the

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

in three games to win their first South Atlantic league championship.

History

The Catfish, then known as the Wilmington Waves as one of two South Atlantic League expansion teams in 2001, played their inaugural season in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

, as an affiliate of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. The team left Wilmington after one season due to the lack of a permanent

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

. The Waves moved to

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia ...

, for one season until settling in Columbus, which had lost the RedStixx prior to the 2003 season. The team was known as the

South Georgia Waves The South Georgia Waves were a Low-A class minor league baseball team in Albany, Georgia for one season before relocating to Columbus, Georgia where they operated under the same name for the 2003 season before being rebranded the Columbus Catfi ...

during its single season in Albany and its first year in Columbus.

Relocation to Bowling Green

The team was sold to

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club. During the team's first seas ...

owner Art Solomon in April 2008. Solomon would move the team to

, for the 2009 season, where the team would be known as the

Season-by-season records

, - , 2001 , , 75 , , 63 , , 2nd , , , - , 2002 , , 75, , 63 , , 2nd , , , - , 2003 , , 64 , , 72 , , 11th , , , - , 2004 , , 69 , , 69 , , 7th , , , - , 2005 , , 57 , , 79 , , 14th , , , - , 2006 , , 72 , , 68 , , 7th , , , - , 2007 , , 82 , , 53 , , 2nd ² , , League champions
Southern Division, 2 games to 0 over Augusta.
League Finals, 3 games to 0 over West Virginia. , - , 2008 , , 67 , , 69 , , 10th , , , - 2001: Wilmington Waves
2002: South Georgia Waves, Albany
2003: South Georgia Waves, Columbus
¹- 1st half Southern division champions
²- 2nd half Southern division champions

Notable events

*May 20, 2004: Catfish pitcher Chuck Tiffany pitched a 7-inning

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

against the

Greensboro Bats Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

in game 2 of a doubleheader.

Tommy Lasorda Thomas Charles Lasorda (September 22, 1927 – January 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the Nati ...

, Tiffany's boyhood idol, saw the performance. *June 10, 2004: Catfish pitcher Julio Pimentel set all-time Columbus records, outdueling

Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...

(and future

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

) pitcher

Chuck James Charles Hamilton "Chuck" James (born November 9, 1981) is a former American professional baseball pitcher who pitched for the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins. Playing career Atlanta Braves He was signed by the Braves on July 29, , after h ...

by striking out the first 8 batters, and 16 total in game 1 (7 innings complete game) of doubleheader. *September 13, 2007: Catfish defeat West Virginia Power 6–0 in game 3 to clinch their first South Atlantic league championship in a three-game sweep.

References

{{reflist

External links

Bowling Green Professional Baseball
Defunct South Atlantic League teams Sports in Columbus, Georgia Los Angeles Dodgers minor league affiliates Tampa Bay Rays minor league affiliates 2003 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) 2008 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Professional baseball teams in Georgia (U.S. state) Baseball teams established in 2003 Baseball teams disestablished in 2008 Defunct baseball teams in Georgia