List of International League champions
| Governors' Cup | |
|---|---|
 Governors' Cup replica | |
| Sport | Baseball |
| League | International League |
| Awarded for | Winning the league championship |
| History | |
| First award | 1933 |
| Editions | 87 |
| Final award | 2019 |
| First winner | Buffalo Bisons |
| Most wins | Columbus Clippers (11) |
| Most recent | Columbus Clippers (2019) |
The International League of Minor League Baseball was a Triple-A baseball league in the United States from 1884 to 2020. A league champion was determined at the end of each season. From the league's creation in 1884 until 1932, champions were simply the regular season pennant winners. From 1933 to 2020, postseason playoffs were held to determine champions. Playoff winners were awarded the Governors' Cup.
The Rochester Red Wings won 19 titles, the most in the league's history, followed by the Columbus Clippers and Toronto Maple Leafs (11). Since the introduction of the Governors' Cup in 1933, the most cup titles were won by the Columbus Clippers (11), followed by the Rochester Red Wings (10) and Syracuse Mets (8).
History[]
League champions were determined by different means since the International League's formation in 1884. Champions from 1884 to 1932 were simply the regular season pennant winners. Frank Shaughnessy, general manager of the IL'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 Depression era, 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 Governors' Cup was born. Several other leagues, including the Pacific Coast League, noticed the success of the "Shaughnessy Plan" and began using the system as well.[1]
In response to the new playoff format, the governors of Maryland, New Jersey, and New York and the lieutenant governors of the provinces of Quebec and Ontario 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 and has been appraised at over $3,000.[1] 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 of the same name was minted in its place and is presented annually to the winner of the Governors' Cup Championship Series.[1]
Playoff format[]
Typically, from 1933 to 1987, the four teams with the best records at the end of the season competed in semi-finals and then a final best-of-seven series for the championship. For the few years in which the league was split into two divisions, the top two teams in each division competed against one another, with the winners competing to determine a champion. The championship series was shortened to a best-of-five series in some years. The league also competed in two divisions from 1988 to 1997.
From 1998 to 2019, the league was split into three divisions. Under this format, the three division winners and a wild card team (the team with the best second-place record in the league) were determined at the end of the season. The North Division champion played the wild card team, while the champions of the South and West Divisions played one another in best-of-five series. The winners then played each other in the best-of-five Governors' Cup Playoffs to determine the champion.[2] The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[3] and the league ceased operations before the 2021 season in conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of Minor League Baseball.[4]
League champions[]
- Scores and additional teams are absent from 1884 to 1932 when pennant winners were declared champions.
Championship wins by team[]
| Wins | Governors' Cup wins |
Team | Championship years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 10 | Rochester Bronchos/Red Wings | 1899, 1901, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1939, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1988, 1990, 1997 |
| 11 | 11 | Columbus Clippers | 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2019 |
| 11 | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1897, 1902, 1907, 1912, 1917, 1918, 1926, 1934, 1960, 1965, 1966 |
| 10 | 2 | Baltimore Orioles | 1908, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1944, 1950 |
| 10 | 4 | Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970) | 1891, 1904, 1906, 1915, 1916, 1927, 1933, 1936, 1957, 1961 |
| 8 | 7 | Montreal Royals | 1898, 1941, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1958 |
| 8 | 8 | Syracuse Chiefs | 1935, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1954, 1969, 1970, 1976 |
| 6 | 6 | Durham Bulls | 2002, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2018 |
| 5 | 4 | Newark Bears | 1932, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1945 |
| 5 | 0 | Providence Grays/Clamdiggers | 1894, 1905, 1896, 1900, 1914 |
| 5 | 5 | Richmond Braves | 1978, 1986, 1989, 1994, 2007 |
| 5 | 5 | Tidewater Tides | 1972, 1975, 1982, 1983, 1985 |
| 4 | 4 | Pawtucket Red Sox | 1973, 1984, 2012, 2014 |
| 3 | 3 | Toledo Mud Hens | 1967, 2005, 2006 |
| 2 | 2 | Buffalo Bisons | 1998, 2004 |
| 2 | 2 | Charlotte Knights | 1993, 1999 |
| 2 | 0 | Detroit Wolverines | 1889, 1890 |
| 2 | 2 | Indianapolis Indians | 1963, 2000 |
| 2 | 2 | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees/RailRiders | 2008, 2016 |
| 2 | 0 | Syracuse Stars | 1885, 1888 |
| 1 | 1 | Atlanta Crackers | 1962 |
| 1 | 0 | Binghamton Bingoes | 1892 |
| 1 | 1 | Charleston Charlies | 1977 |
| 1 | 0 | Erie Blackbirds | 1893 |
| 1 | 1 | Havana Sugar Kings | 1959 |
| 1 | 1 | Jacksonville Suns | 1968 |
| 1 | 0 | Jersey City Skeeters | 1903 |
| 1 | 1 | Louisville RiverBats | 2001 |
| 1 | 0 | Newark Indians | 1913 |
| 1 | 0 | Newark Little Giants | 1886 |
| 1 | 1 | Ottawa Lynx | 1995 |
| 1 | 0 | Springfield Maroons | 1895 |
| 1 | 0 | 1884 | |
| 1 | 0 | Utica Pent-Ups | 1887 |
Notes[]
- ^ The Syracuse Stars finished the season in first place, but the title was awarded to Toronto.
- ^ The playoffs were cancelled in the wake the September 11 terrorist attacks. Louisville, which had won the first game of the series, 2–1, before its cancellation, was declared the winner.
See also[]
- Triple-A baseball Awards
References[]
Specific
- ^ a b c "International League Governors' Cup Championship". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ "International League Personnel and Staff". International League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- ^ a b "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Reichard, Kevin (February 12, 2021). "Minor League Baseball Overhaul Unveiled". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
General
- "International League Champions". International League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- "International League Governors' Cup Championship". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- O'Neal, Bill (1992), The International League: A Baseball History 1884–1991, Eakin Press, ISBN 9780890158562
- Wright, Marshall (2005), The International League: Year-by-Year Statistics 1884–1953, McFarland, ISBN 9780786404582
- International League
- Minor league baseball playoffs and champions
- Minor League Baseball lists