IL1 International League

2012 International League Season Heads Towards Finish Line

Published on August 10, 2012 under International League (IL1) News Release


With just over three weeks remaining in the 2012 International League regular season, two teams appear to have the inside track to the League's four-team postseason playoffs. In a likely first round preview, the South Division-leading Charlotte Knights took the first three games of a series this week in Indianapolis before the Indians bounced back last night when Justin Wilson tossed an 8.0-inning no-hitter in a rain-shortened finale. Both the Knights and the West-Division-leading Indians are closing in on their first playoff appearance since 2006. Both clubs also enjoy fairly comfortable leads in their divisions, leaving trailing Columbus (9.0 GB in the West) and Norfolk (7.0 GB in the South) to chase the Wild Card berth for an entry into the postseason. Currently however, the Wild Card would be the odd team out of the heated North Division race. If the playoffs began today, the North Division would belong to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, owners of a slight advantage over Pawtucket, Lehigh Valley, and the hard-charging Rochester Red Wings. The PawSox are the current Wild Card leaders, though four teams remain within 5.0 games of Pawtucket in the race for the final postseason entry.

First Round Schedule (Best of Five):

September 5,6 South Division Winner at West Division Winner, North Division Winner at Wild Card Winner

September 7,8*,9

* West Division Winner at South Division Winner, Wild Card Winner at North Division Winner

Governors' Cup Finals Schedule (Best of Five):

September 11,12 South/West Division Series Winner at North/Wild Card Series Winner

September 13,14*,15

* North/Wild Card Series Winner at South/West Division Series Winner

* If Necessary

First Place Yankees Defy the Odds During Season Away From Home

While construction crews have been hard at work in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania preparing PNC

Field for Opening Day of 2013, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees have played their "home" games so far this season in Rochester (38 games),

Syracuse (6), Lehigh Valley (6), Batavia (5), and Buffalo (4). Despite the

club's nomadic existence, manager Dave Miley has the Yankees threatening to

make the postseason. With a current record of 65-53 the team dubbed as

the "Empire State Yankees" sits alone atop the IL North Division.

Remaining 2012 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre "Home" Games

August 14-17 vs. Pawtucket at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI

August 20-21 vs. Buffalo at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo, NY

August 29-30 vs. Lehigh Valley at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA

* Any SWB Yankees home postseason games will be at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY

SWB Manager Dave Miley

2012 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview

August 10, 2012

Page Two

Triple-A Rookies Shaping 2012 Governors' Cup Playoff Chase

This season several new faces have emerged on the Triple-A Baseball scene and are leading the way as their teams chase postseason glory. The last time the International League Rookie of the Year played for the team that won the Governors' Cup was in 2002 (Carl Crawford of the Durham Bulls), but here are several rookies that are hoping to reverse the trend this season:

Xavier Avery, Norfolk 21 steals and 23 extra-base hits to go along with team-leading 51 runs

Phillippe Aumont, Lehigh Valley Team-best 13 saves, 2-1 record, 3.63 ERA, 53 strikeouts in 39.2 IP

Juan Cedeno, Scranton/WB 3-0 record, 3.31 ERA in team-leading 43 appearances for All-Star

Tyler Cloyd, Lehigh Valley 11-1 record (2nd in IL in wins), 2.12 ERA (1st), 84 strikeouts

Pedro Florimon, Rochester .254 average, 24 RBI, 6 steals for slick-fielding shortstop

Matt Langwell, Columbus 1-0 record, 3.19 ERA, 37 hits allowed in 42.1 IP, 42 strikeouts

Charles Leesman, Charlotte 9-9 record, 2.65 ERA (3rd in IL), 82 strikeouts

Bryan Morris, Indianapolis Reliever has 2-2 record, 2.73 ERA, and 5 saves in 69.1 innings pitched

Ronnier Mustelier, Scranton/WB .291 average, 8 homers, 41 RBI for Yankees outfielder

Clippers Still Alive in Quest For Three-Peat

The two-time defending Governors' Cup and Triple-A Baseball National Champions, the Columbus Clippers, have quietly remained in the Wild Card hunt this season despite sitting 9.0 games behind Indianapolis in the West Division. The Clippers, who won the League Championship as the Wild Card in 2010, still have the dream of becoming just the second franchise in IL history to win a third consecutive Governors' Cup. The first was also Columbus, as the Clippers achieved the League's first "three-peat" from 1979 to 1981 as an affiliate of the New York Yankees.

A third title would be unprecedented for manager Mike Sarbaugh, as no skipper in League history has ever won three consecutive Governors' Cups. The 1979-81 Clippers had three different managers in Gene Michael, Joe Altobelli, and Frank Verdi. Earlier this season Sarbaugh became the first manager ever to serve in that capacity in back-to-back Triple-A All-Star Games.

North Division Teams at Forefront of Wild Card Race

The Wild Card entry can come from any division, and the last three seasons each of the League's three divisions have had a turn sending two teams to the playoffs. Since 1998 when the current three-division format began, the six-team North has produced the Wild Card a League-high eight times, more than the South and West Combined. Last year the Lehigh Valley IronPigs lost the division race to Pawtucket by 2.0 games, but then swept the Red Sox in the first round of the playoffs.

Year Wild Card Division Playoff Results Year Wild Card Division Playoff Results

2011 Lehigh Valley North Lost in finals 2004 Durham South Lost in first round

2010 Columbus West Won Governors' Cup 2003 Ottawa North Lost in first round

2009 Gwinnett South Lost in first round 2002 Buffalo North Lost in finals

2008 Pawtucket North Lost in first round 2001 Scranton/WB North Lost in finals

2007 Richmond South Won Governors' Cup 2000 Scranton/WB North Lost in finals

2006 Rochester North Lost in finals 1999 Charlotte South Won Governors' Cup

2005 Indianapolis West Lost in finals 1998 Syracuse North Lost in first round

2012 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview

August 10, 2012

Page Three

Playoff Races Enter Final Weeks;

Much Still to be Decided as Teams Battle for a Playoff Berth

NORTH DIVISION REPORT: No team has managed to run away with the North this season, as only 7.5 games separate the six teams of the division from each other. The advantage currently belongs to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (New York Yankees), who were able to take three out of four games this week from the 4th-place Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota Twins). It was a major setback for the Red Wings, who had won seven in a row prior to facing the Yankees. Rochester faces the prospect of also looking up in the standings at the two teams the division sent to the postseason last year, Pawtucket (Boston Red Sox) and Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia Phillies). Starting last Wednesday, the PawSox and IronPigs played each other for six straight days, splitting things in the end with three victories apiece. Pawtucket has never won consecutive division titles in the International League.

** Fact of the Week ** - Lehigh Valley owns the League's best record in one-run games this season, going 24-16 (.600) in one-run affairs.

WEST DIVISION REPORT: The International League's best record in 2012 belongs to the Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates). The Tribe owns the League's 2nd-best ERA and has scored the 3rd-highest number of runs, resulting in a 9.0-game lead for Indianapolis in the West Division. The Indians haven't made the postseason since 2006, and the last time the team won the West Division outright was in the Governors' Cup Championship season of 2000. The only other team in the West with a winning record this season has been the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians), though the two-time defending champions of Triple-A Baseball are still alive in the Wild Card picture. The Indians and Clippers meet tonight in Columbus for the first of six games left between the two.

** Fact of the Week ** - In June, the Indians went 20-9, the only time this season an IL team has won 20 games in a calendar month

SOUTH DIVISION REPORT: For the first time since 2006 it appears the IL South Division winner will not be Durham. The Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox) are poised to return to the playoffs for the first time since winning the South six years ago. The Knights have gone 18-10 since the All-Star Break to pull away from the 2nd-place Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles). The top two teams in the South meet for four games beginning tonight at Harbor Park in Norfolk. Charlotte's pitching staff owns the League's best ERA this season (3.16), while the offense is led by current home run leader Dan Johnson (25 HR). Norfolk has struggled when on the road this season, posting a road record of 27-32 . The Knights have a League-best 36 wins away from home this season.

** Fact of the Week ** - Norfolk's last division title came in 2005. Since then, the Tides have finished in the top half of the South Division just once.

2012 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview

August 10, 2012

Page Four

WILD CARD REPORT: The Wild Card race is living up to its name this season, with several clubs still very much alive in the hunt for the last ticket into the postseason. Neither Columbus or Norfolk has any games remaining against North Division clubs, so those teams may have an opportunity to make a move down the stretch as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pawtucket, Lehigh Valley, and Rochester play one another. No International League team has more victories since the first of July than the Red Wings, who went 18-11 in July and are 5-3 so far in August. The winner of the Wild Card berth will meet the North Division in the first round of the Governors' Cup playoffs, a series the Wild Card has won the last two seasons.

** Fact of the Week ** - The team with the most home runs in the IL this year is Columbus with 126. The fewest is 68 home runs for Lehigh Valley.

SERIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

August 10-12: Indianapolis @ Columbus

This weekend's series represents half of the remaining games for the Clippers with the first place Indians and the last ones at Huntington Park. This could be the final opportunity for Columbus to make a run in the West Division.

August 10-13: Norfolk @ Charlotte

The top two teams in the South square off at Knights Stadium. The Tides hold a slim 8-7 edge in the season series, having taken two of three games at Charlotte early last month.

August 12-13: Rochester @ Lehigh Valley

Standing directly in front of Rochester in the North Division standings is Lehigh Valley. The Red Wings dropped three out of four during a late-June trip to Pennsylvania.

IL Champion Headed to Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game

The IL postseason contenders are also keeping an eye on the Pacific Coast League playoff picture as the regular season wraps up. The club that wins the Governors' Cup will advance to the 2012 Gildan Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game in Durham on Tuesday, September 18. Who will face the IL's best to determine the champion of Triple-A Baseball live on NBC Sports Network? Here's an update on the division races in the Pacific Coast League for August 10:

American North American South

Omaha 69-50 -- Albuquerque 68-51 -- Nashville 54-65 15.0 New Orleans 64-55 4.0

Iowa 44-75 25.0 Okl. City 63-55 4.5

Memphis 44-75 25.0 Round Rock 53-66 15.0

Pacific North Pacific South

Reno 70-49 -- Sacramento 72-47 -- Col. Spr. 63-56 7.0 Las Vegas 66-52 5.5

Salt Lake 61-58 9.0 Fresno 63-55 8.5

Tacoma 50-69 20.0 Tucson 46-72 25.5

WILD CARD LEADERS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Pawtucket 65-54 .546 -- 25

Lehigh Valley 64-56 .533 1.5 24

Columbus 63-57 .525 2.5 24

Norfolk 61-59 .508 4.5 24

Rochester 60-59 .504 5.0 25

IMPACTING THE RACE

1B Chris Parmelee

Rochester

.356, 8 HR, 22 RBI

(Since All-Star Break)

Repeat Governors' Cup Champions

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Newark 1937-38

Syracuse 1942-43

Montreal 1948-49

Rochester 1955-56

Toronto 1965-66

Syracuse 1969-70

Columbus 1979-81*

Tidewater 1982-83

Columbus 1991-92

Durham 2002-03

Toledo 2005-06

Columbus 2010-11

* - only three-time consecutive Gov. Cup champion

IL NORTH DIVISION STANDINGS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Scranton/WB 65-53 .551 -- 26

Pawtucket 65-54 .546 0.5 25

Lehigh Valley 64-56 .533 2.0 24

Rochester 60-59 .504 5.5 25

Buffalo 58-61 .487 7.5 25

Syracuse 58-61 .487 7.5 25

IMPACTING THE RACE

RHP Zach Stewart

Pawtucket

Leads staff with 25 SO

(Since All-Star Break)

IL WEST DIVISION STANDINGS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Indianapolis 72-48 .600 -- 24

Columbus 63-57 .525 9.0 24

Louisville 47-73 .392 25.0 24

Toledo 46-74 .383 26.0 24

IMPACTING THE RACE

OF Jose Tabata

Indianapolis

.313, 7 2B, 14 RBI

(Since arriving July 4)

IL SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Charlotte 68-52 .567 -- 24

Norfolk 61-59 .508 7.0 24

Durham 57-63 .475 11.0 24

Gwinnett 53-67 .442 15.0 24

IMPACTING THE RACE

OF L.J. Hoes

Norfolk

.476, 5 RBI, 12 Runs

(Since July 29)

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International League Stories from August 10, 2012


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