The Oneonta Indians (who, despite the name, were an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox) won back-to-back championships in 1941–42 before the loop shut down for three years due to World War II.

In 1967, Sam Nader and Sidney Levine purchased the team and renamed them the Oneonta Yankees, or O-Yanks, an affiliation they would have for three decades.

NFL hall-of-fame quarterback John Elway batted .318 over 45 games in 1982 for the Oneonta Yankees in his brief professional baseball career.

The 2007 season ushered a new era for Oneonta Tiger baseball, as their stadium received a face-lift, while premiering the team's official website, www.oneontatigers.com.

The new team would play their games in the newly renovated Dodd Stadium which had been vacated by the Connecticut Defenders of the Eastern League, who had left for Richmond, Virginia.