List of International League champions
{{Short description|None}}
{{Redirect|Governors' Cup|the basketball trophy|PBA Governors' Cup}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
File:Governors' Cup-International League.jpg playoffs from 1933 to 2020]]
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball. A champion has been determined at the end of each season since the league was formed in 1884.
Through 1932, champions were usually the regular-season pennant winners—the team with the best win–loss record at the conclusion of the season. From 1933 to 2020, postseason playoffs were held to determine champions. Participants from 1933 to 1987 were usually the four teams with the highest winning percentages. From 1988 to 2020, the four qualifiers were the division winners and one or two wild card teams. The winner of each season's playoffs was awarded the Governors' Cup. These playoffs and the issuing of trophy were discontinued in 2021, when the winner was the team with the best regular-season record. In 2022, the league championship was determined by a single playoff game between the East and West division winners. Beginning with the 2023 season, the league adopted a split season format, in which the league championship is determined by a best-of-three playoff series between the winners of each half of the season, with the winner meeting the champion of the Pacific Coast League in the Triple-A National Championship Game.{{cite news |url=https://www.milb.com/news/triple-a-national-championship-game-2023 |title=2023 Triple-A National Championship Game Set for Sept. 30 in Las Vegas |website=Minor League Baseball |date=March 28, 2023 |accessdate=March 28, 2023}}
The Rochester Red Wings have won 19 International League championships, more than any other team, followed by the Columbus Clippers (11) and the Baltimore Orioles, original Buffalo Bisons, and Toronto Maple Leafs (10). Among active IL franchises, Rochester has won 19 championships, the most of all teams, followed by Columbus (11) and the Durham Bulls and Syracuse Mets (8). During the era of the Governors' Cup playoffs from 1933 to 2020, the most cup titles were won by Columbus (11), followed by Rochester (10) and Syracuse (8).
History
=Pre-playoff era (1884–1932)=
File:1909 Rochester Hustlers 1909.png, known as the Hustlers in 1909, won nine championships during the pre-playoff era (1884–1932), more than any other team.]]
The International League was founded in 1884.{{cite web|last=Terranova|first=Rob|url=https://www.milb.com/news/international-league-then-and-now|title=Then and Now: International League|website=Minor League Baseball|date=March 17, 2022|access-date=May 12, 2022}} The modern circuit traces its roots from several predecessor leagues: the Eastern League (1884), New York State League (1885), International League (1886–1887), International Association (1888–1890), Eastern Association (1891), and Eastern League (1892–1911).{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL|title=International League Yearly Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 31, 2022}} It adopted consistent use of the International League name in 1912. After the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic,{{cite web |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}} the league was known as the Triple-A East in 2021 before reverting to the International League moniker in 2022.{{cite web |last=Reichard |first=Kevin |title=Minor League Baseball Overhaul Unveiled|url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2021/02/12/minor-league-baseball-overhaul-unveiled/|website=Ballpark Digest|date=February 12, 2021|access-date=February 13, 2021}}{{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}}
A league champion has been determined at the end of each season. With few exceptions, champions from 1884 to 1932 were simply the regular-season pennant winners—the team with the best win–loss record at the conclusion of the regular championship season. The first league champions were the Trenton Trentonians, who won by four games over the Lancaster Ironsides in 1884.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-EL2/y-1884|title=1884 Eastern League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}} The 1891 and 1892 seasons were contested as split seasons or "double seasons". Under this format, the schedule was split into two parts. The team with the best record at the end of the first season won the first pennant. Standings were then reset so that all clubs had clean records to begin the second season. If the same team won both seasons, they were declared the league champion.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102893393/for-minor-leagues/|via=Newspapers.com|title=For Minor Leaguers|work=The Buffalo Commercial|location=Buffalo|date=January 25, 1892|page=10}} This was the case in 1891 when the original Buffalo Bisons won both halves.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-1891|title=1891 Eastern Association Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}} If a different team won the second season, the two winners would meet in a playoff series to determine the champion. This happened in 1892 when the Binghamton Bingoes, winners of the second season, defeated the Providence Clamdiggers, winners of the first season, four games to two.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-1892|title=1892 Eastern League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}} In 1932, the Newark Bears became the last team to win the championship by virtue of winning the regular-season pennant before a recurring series of playoffs were instituted.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-1932|title=1932 International League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}}
=Governors' Cup era (1933–2020)=
File:FrankShaughnessy1936Goudeycard.jpg devised a playoff system that was used for the Governor's Cup playoffs to determine a league champion.]]
Frank Shaughnessy, general manager of the International League's Montreal Royals, was interested in developing a way for multiple clubs to share in the excitement of postseason play. His new playoff format, devised to maintain the interest of fans and players alike during the Great Depression, provided an opportunity for four teams to compete for the league's championship. In 1933, he introduced his plan to league president Charles H. Knappe, and the result was the Governors' Cup playoffs. Several other leagues noticed the success of the "Shaughnessy Plan" and began using the system as well.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tripleabaseball.com/PostSeasonIL.jsp|title=International League Governors' Cup Championship|website=Triple-A Baseball|access-date=May 31, 2022|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228124827/https://www.tripleabaseball.com/PostSeasonIL.jsp|archive-date=February 28, 2021}}
The governors of Maryland, New Jersey, and New York and the lieutenant governors of the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, in which the league's eight teams were located at the time, sponsored a trophy to be awarded annually to the winner of the International League playoffs. The original trophy, designed by the supervisor of the league's umpires and silversmith W. B. Carpenter, was created out of solid silver. In 1988, IL president Harold Cooper donated the trophy to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, where it is on permanent display. A new trophy was minted in its place to be presented to the winner of the Governors' Cup playoffs.
Under this system, the top four teams in the league, based on winning percentage, competed for the championship. From 1933 to 1987, the first round typically consisted of a best-of-seven-games series between the first and fourth-place teams and a series between the second and third-place teams. The winners of these semifinals then faced one another for the championship in a best-of-seven series. The first Governors' Cup was won in 1933 by the original Buffalo Bisons, who defeated the Rochester Red Wings, 4–2.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-1933|title=1933 International League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}} Sporadically from 1966 to 1980, one or both rounds were reduced to best-of-five series. From 1981 to 2020, both rounds were the best-of-five.
The IL utilized a divisional alignment for the first time in 1963. The first-place teams from each division, North and South, met in the first round, as did the second-place teams, with the winners meeting in the finals.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-1963|title=1963 International League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}} The circuit reverted to having no divisions in 1964 but returned to the same playoff format with North and South Divisions for 1973 and 1974.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-1973|title=1973 International League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-1974|title=1974 International League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}}
From 1988 to 1991, the International League held an interleague partnership with the American Association, called the Triple-A Alliance, in which they played an interlocking schedule, and the leagues' champions met in the Triple-A Classic.{{cite web|url=http://www.triple-abaseball.com/AATimeline.jsp|title=Notable Events in American Association History|website=Triple-A Baseball|access-date=May 31, 2022|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421083542/http://www.triple-abaseball.com/AATimeline.jsp|archive-date=April 21, 2021}} During this period, the IL was divided into East and West Divisions, and the division winners faced off in a best-of-five series to determine champions. After the dissolution of the Triple-A Alliance following the 1991 season, the International League maintained this divisional alignment but returned to having a semifinal round wherein the top two teams in each division played each other to qualify for the Governors' Cup finals.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-1992|title=1992 International League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}}
The league was split into three divisions, North, South, and West, from 1998 to 2020. Under this arrangement, the three division winners and a wild card team, the team with the best second-place record, qualified for the playoffs. The best-of-five semifinals pitted the North Division winner against the wild card team, and the South and West Division winners against each other. The winners then played in a best-of-five round to determine the champion.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-1998|title=1998 International League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}} The last team to win the championship this way was the Columbus Clippers, who won the last Governors' Cup in 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-2019|title=2019 International League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}} The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
=Current era (2021–present)=
The International League ceased operations before the 2021 season in conjunction with Major League Baseball's (MLB) reorganization of Minor League Baseball. In place of the International League, MLB created the Triple-A East, a circuit divided into three divisions, Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast.{{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}} Prior to the 2022 season, MLB renamed the Triple-A East the International League, and it carried on the history of the IL prior to reorganization. Rather than hold playoffs for its championship, the Triple-A East's 2021 title was awarded to the team with the best regular-season record.{{cite news |url=https://www.milb.com/milb/news/triple-a-classification-to-add-10-games-to-2021-schedule |title=MiLB Announces 'Triple-A Final Stretch' for 2021 |website=Minor League Baseball |date=July 14, 2021 |accessdate=July 16, 2021}} The Durham Bulls won this championship by four-and-a-half games ahead of the Buffalo Bisons.{{cite news|last=Cooper|first=J.J.|url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/tampa-bay-rays-affiliates-dominate-2021-minor-league-baseball-playoff-picture/|title=Rays Affiliates Dominate 2021 Minor League Playoff Picture|website=Baseball America|date=September 20, 2021|access-date=September 24, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/standings/2021?standingsType=firstHalf&standingsView=league|title=2021 Triple-A East Standings|website=Minor League Baseball|access-date=May 30, 2022}}
Along with these changes, all references to the Governors' Cup as the championship of the International League were discontinued and a different trophy was awarded.{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/events/playoffs/procedures|title=2021 MiLB Playoff Procedures|website=Minor League Baseball|access-date=May 31, 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811011327/https://www.milb.com/events/playoffs/procedures|archive-date=August 11, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/durham/news/baseball-america-tabs-bulls-as-2021-minor-league-team-of-the-year|title=Baseball America Tabs Bulls as 2021 Minor League Team of the Year|website=Durham Bulls|publisher=Minor League Baseball|date=December 1, 2021|accessdate=May 31, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/news/las-vegas-to-host-inaugural-triple-a-triple-championship-weekend|title=Las Vegas to Host Inaugural Triple-A Triple Championship Weekend|website=Minor League Baseball|date=May 3, 2022|accessdate=May 30, 2022}} In 2022, the league was reorganized in East and West Divisions.{{cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-IL/y-2022|title=2022 International League Standings|website=Stats Crew|access-date=May 30, 2022}} Under this alignment, the winners of each division met in a single game to determine the league champion.{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/events/playoffs/procedures|title=MiLB Playoff Procedures|website=Minor League Baseball|accessdate=May 30, 2022}}
Beginning in 2023, the regular-season was split into two halves, and the winners of each half meet in a best-of-three series for the league championship.{{cite news |url=https://www.milb.com/news/triple-a-national-championship-game-2023 |title=2023 Triple-A National Championship Game Set for Sept. 30 in Las Vegas |website=Minor League Baseball |date=March 28, 2023 |access-date=March 28, 2023}}{{cite news |url=https://www.milb.com/news/2024-milb-triple-a-national-championship-date |title=2024 MiLB Triple-A National Championship Game Set for Sept. 28 at Las Vegas Ballpark |website=Minor League Baseball |date=March 12, 2024 |access-date=March 12, 2024}}
Champions
=Pre-playoff champions (1884–1932)=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:85%"
|+Key !scope="row" style="text-align:center"|Record |Regular-season win–loss record |
| scope="row" style="text-align:center"|GA
|Games ahead of the second-place team |
|---|
=Governors' Cup champions (1933–2020)=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:85%"
|+Key !scope="row" style="text-align:center"|Score |Score of the Governors' Cup championship series |
| scope="row" style="text-align:center"|P
|Regular-season pennant winner (1933–1962, 1964–1972, 1975–1987) |
|---|
| scope="row" style="text-align:center"|N
|North Division winner (1963, 1973–1974, 1998–2020) |
| scope="row" style="text-align:center"|S
|South Division winner (1963, 1973–1974, 1998–2020) |
| scope="row" style="text-align:center"|E
|East Division winner (1988–1997) |
| scope="row" style="text-align:center"|W
|West Division winner (1988–2020) |
=2021–present=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:85%"
|+Key !scope="row" style="text-align:center"|Score |Score of the championship series |
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Champions !scope="col" | Year !scope="col" | Champion !scope="col" class="unsortable"| Score !scope="col" | Runner-up !scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| 2021
!scope="row"|Durham Bulls |—{{efn-la|No playoffs were held. Durham won the championship by virtue of having the league's best regular-season record (77–43). They finished {{frac|4|1|2}} games ahead of Buffalo.}} |style="text-align:left"|Buffalo Bisons |
| 2022
!scope="row"|Durham Bulls |1–0 |style="text-align:left"|Nashville Sounds |
| 2023
!scope="row"|Norfolk Tides |2–1 |style="text-align:left"|Durham Bulls |
| 2024
!scope="row"|Omaha Storm Chasers |2–1 |style="text-align:left"|Columbus Clippers |
Wins by team
Active International League teams appear in bold.
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left"
!scope="col"| Team !scope="col"| Wins !scope="col"| Year(s) |
| scope="row"|Rochester Red Wings (Rochester Bronchos/Hustlers)
|style="text-align:center"|19 |1899, 1901, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1939, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1988, 1990, 1997 |
|---|
| scope="row"|Columbus Clippers
|style="text-align:center"|11 |1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2019 |
| scope="row"|Baltimore Orioles
|style="text-align:center" rowspan="3"|10 |1908, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1944, 1950 |
| scope="row"|Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970)
|1891, 1904, 1906, 1915, 1916, 1927, 1933, 1936, 1957, 1961 |
| scope="row"|Toronto Maple Leafs
|1902, 1907, 1912, 1917, 1918, 1926, 1934, 1960, 1965, 1966 |
| scope="row"|Durham Bulls
|style="text-align:center" rowspan="3"|8 |2002, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 |
| scope="row"|Montreal Royals
|1898, 1941, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1958 |
| scope="row"|Syracuse Mets (Syracuse Chiefs)
|1935, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1954, 1969, 1970, 1976 |
| scope="row"|Norfolk Tides (Tidewater Tides)
|style="text-align:center"|6 |1972, 1975, 1982, 1983, 1985, 2023 |
| scope="row"|Newark Bears
|style="text-align:center" rowspan="3"|5 |1932, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1945 |
| scope="row"|Providence Grays (Providence Clamdiggers)
|1894, 1896, 1900, 1905, 1914 |
| scope="row"|Richmond Braves
|1978, 1986, 1989, 1994, 2007 |
| scope="row"|Pawtucket Red Sox
|style="text-align:center"|4 |1973, 1984, 2012, 2014 |
| scope="row"|Syracuse Stars
|style="text-align:center" rowspan="2"|3 |1885, 1888, 1897 |
| scope="row"|Toledo Mud Hens
|1967, 2005, 2006 |
| scope="row"|Buffalo Bisons (1979–present)
|style="text-align:center" rowspan="5"|2 |1998, 2004 |
| scope="row"|Charlotte Knights
|1993, 1999 |
| scope="row"|Detroit Wolverines
|1889, 1890 |
| scope="row"|Indianapolis Indians
|1963, 2000 |
| scope="row"|Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees)
|2008, 2016 |
| scope="row"|Atlanta Crackers
|style="text-align:center" rowspan="15"|1 |1962 |
| scope="row"|Binghamton Bingoes
|1892 |
| scope="row"|Charleston Charlies
|1977 |
| scope="row"|Erie Blackbirds
|1893 |
| scope="row"|Havana Sugar Kings
|1959 |
| scope="row"|Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Jacksonville Suns)
|1968 |
| scope="row"|Jersey City Skeeters
|1903 |
| scope="row"|Louisville Bats (Louisville RiverBats)
|2001 |
| scope="row"|Newark Indians
|1913 |
| scope="row"|Omaha Storm Chasers
|2024 |
| scope="row"|Ottawa Lynx
|1995 |
| scope="row"|Springfield Maroons
|1895 |
| scope="row"|Toronto Canucks
|1887 |
| scope="row"|Trenton Trentonians
|1884 |
| scope="row"|Utica Pent-Ups
|1886 |
=Governors' Cup wins by team=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"| Team !scope="col"| Governors' !scope="col"| Year(s) |
| scope="row"|Columbus Clippers
|11 |style="text-align:left"|1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2019 |
|---|
| scope="row"|Rochester Red Wings
|10 |style="text-align:left"|1939, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1988, 1990, 1997 |
| scope="row"|Syracuse Mets (Syracuse Chiefs)
|8 |style="text-align:left"|1935, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1954, 1969, 1970, 1976 |
| scope="row"|Montreal Royals
|7 |style="text-align:left"|1941, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1958 |
| scope="row"|Durham Bulls
|6 |style="text-align:left"|2002, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2018 |
| scope="row"|Norfolk Tides (Tidewater Tides)
|rowspan="2"|5 |style="text-align:left"|1972, 1975, 1982, 1983, 1985 |
| scope="row"|Richmond Braves
|style="text-align:left"|1978, 1986, 1989, 1994, 2007 |
| scope="row"|Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970)
|rowspan="4"|4 |style="text-align:left"|1933, 1936, 1957, 1961 |
| scope="row"|Newark Bears
|style="text-align:left"|1937, 1938, 1940, 1945 |
| scope="row"|Pawtucket Red Sox
|style="text-align:left"|1973, 1984, 2012, 2014 |
| scope="row"|Toronto Maple Leafs
|style="text-align:left"|1934, 1960, 1965, 1966 |
| scope="row"|Toledo Mud Hens
|3 |style="text-align:left"|1967, 2005, 2006 |
| scope="row"|Baltimore Orioles
|rowspan="5"|2 |style="text-align:left"|1944, 1950 |
| scope="row" style="text-align:left"|Buffalo Bisons (1979–present)
|style="text-align:left"|1998, 2004 |
| scope="row"|Charlotte Knights
|style="text-align:left"|1993, 1999 |
| scope="row"|Indianapolis Indians
|style="text-align:left"|1963, 2000 |
| scope="row"|Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees)
|style="text-align:left"|2008, 2016 |
| scope="row"|Atlanta Crackers
|rowspan="6"|1 |style="text-align:left"|1962 |
| scope="row"|Charleston Charlies
|style="text-align:left"|1977 |
| scope="row"|Havana Sugar Kings
|style="text-align:left"|1959 |
| scope="row"|Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Jacksonville Suns)
|style="text-align:left"|1968 |
| scope="row"|Louisville Bats (Louisville RiverBats)
|style="text-align:left"|2001 |
| scope="row"|Ottawa Lynx
|style="text-align:left"|1995 |
See also
{{Portal|Baseball}}
Notes
{{notelist-la}}
References
{{reflist}}
General
- {{Cite web|title=International League Champions|url=https://www.milb.com/international/history/champions|website=International League|publisher=Minor League Baseball|access-date=May 30, 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627092708/https://www.milb.com/international/history/champions|archive-date=June 27, 2021}}
- {{Cite web|url=http://www.tripleabaseball.com/PostSeasonIL.jsp|title=International League Governors' Cup Championship|website=Triple-A Baseball|access-date=May 30, 2022|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228124827/https://www.tripleabaseball.com/PostSeasonIL.jsp|archive-date=February 28, 2021}}
- {{Citation|first=Bill|last=O'Neal|title=The International League: A Baseball History 1884–1991|publisher=Eakin Press|date=1992|isbn=978-0-89015-856-2}}
- {{Citation|first=Marshall|last=Wright|title=The International League: Year-by-Year Statistics 1884–1953|publisher=McFarland|date=2005|isbn=978-0-7864-0458-2}}
{{International League}}
{{Authority control}}