Editing Texas League (section)

==History==
===20th century===
The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892. It was refounded in 1895 and ran through 1899 (under the name Texas Association in 1895 and Texas-Southern League in 1896).

The Texas League was revived as a [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] league in 1902, moved to [[Class C (baseball)|Class C]] in 1904 where it played through 1910 (except for 1906 as Class D again), played at [[Class B (baseball)|Class B]] until 1920, and finally moved up to [[Class A (baseball)|Class A]] in 1921. The Texas League, like many others, shut down during World War II. From 1959 to 1961, the Texas League and the [[Mexican League]] formed the [[Pan American Association]]. The two leagues played a limited interlocking schedule and post-season championship. By 1971, the Texas League and the [[Southern League (1964–present)|Southern League]] had both decreased to seven teams. They played an interlocking schedule with the Southern League known as the [[Dixie Association]]. The two leagues played separate playoffs. The Texas League has operated its own schedule since 1972.

The term "Texas Leaguer" to describe a bloop hit, a soft fly ball that falls for a hit beyond the infielders' reach but too short for the outfielders to catch, has been extant since at least 1903<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Texas%20leaguer |title=Texas leaguer (definition) |work=Merriam=Webster Dictionary |accessdate=April 3, 2023}}</ref> and was common throughout American baseball in the 20th century and to some degree into the 21st. The source of the idiom is not known but among other theories has been attributed to [[Ollie Pickering]]'s feat in a Texas League game of April 4, 1901, in which he made seven such hits in succession. Talk of this singular feat is supposed to have spread widely, bringing the term with it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/the-texanist-where-did-the-phrase-texas-leaguer-come-from/ |title=The Texanist: Where Did the Phrase "Texas Leaguer" Come From?  |author=David Courtney |date=March 2020 |work=Texas Monthly |accessdate=April 3, 2023}}</ref>

===21st century===
Around the advent of the 21st century, the Texas League witnessed a great deal of change. Teams once known as the [[Jackson Mets]],  [[El Paso Diablos]], [[Shreveport Captains]], and [[Wichita Wranglers]] all relocated to new cities and bigger stadiums.

In 2019, the [[San Antonio Missions]] relocated to [[Amarillo, Texas]], becoming the [[Amarillo Sod Poodles]]. At the same time, the Triple-A [[Colorado Springs Sky Sox]] of the [[Pacific Coast League]] (PCL) moved to San Antonio to continue on as the Missions at the Triple-A level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/pacific-coast/news/san-antonio-to-join-pcl-beginning-in-2019/c-237847412/t-209979204|title=San Antonio to join PCL beginning in 2019|website=Pacific Coast League|date=June 21, 2017|access-date=June 21, 2017}}</ref>

The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Message From Pat O'Conner|url=https://www.milb.com/milb/news/message-from-minor-league-baseball-president-ceo-pat-o-conner-313052288|website=Minor League Baseball|date=March 13, 2020|access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref><ref name=2020can>{{cite news |title=2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved|url=https://www.milb.com/news/2020-minor-league-baseball-season-shelved|website=Minor League Baseball|date=June 30, 2020|access-date=July 1, 2020}}</ref> As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Texas League was temporarily renamed to "Double-A Central" for the 2021 season.<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> Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the league switched back to its historical name beginning with the 2022 season.<ref>{{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>