As the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees took to the field in game 2 of the World Series, the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City announced a new identity that pays homage to a Yankee icon. The Oklahoma City Comets name and identity, just unveiled moments ago, are a tribute to Yankees legend Mickey Mantle. Mantle, a Hall of Famer who played for the Yankees from 1951 to 1968, was born in Commerce, Oklahoma, and went by the nickname Commerce Comet.
“When beginning to develop our new identity… a couple of recurring themes emerged, particularly the interest in the rich history of baseball in Oklahoma City and across our great state,” the team said in a statement posted at the unveiling. “Notably we also sensed a desire to be optimistic and find ways to embrace the future.”
The identity, created by Dan Simon of Studio Simon, replaces the team’s one-year brand, the Oklahoma City Baseball Club, which was a bridge from their name from 2015 to 2023, the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Alternate logos include an astronaut character and several permutations of the letters OKC, with a baseball comet’s tail forming the letter C. The photos below are courtesy Chris Storm, who attended the unveiling in Oklahoma City.
This is not the team’s first tribute to Mickey Mantle—the franchise has played in Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark at 2 South Mickey Mantle Drive since 1998. The Comets, who play in the Pacific Coast League, will take to the field in April 2025.