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IL1 International League

Finish Line in Sight as South Division and Wild Card Races Reach End

September 2, 2016 - International League (IL1) News Release


The final weekend of the 2016 regular season is at hand, but the Governors' Cup playoff picture isn't completely set just yet. Lehigh Valley entered play Thursday needing just one win in five games down the stretch against Rochester, the only other team still alive in the Wild Card hunt. The Red Wings took the first game 1-0 Thursday, remaining within striking distance if they can run the table the next four days. Despite being twenty games over .500, Rochester is still in danger of missing the postseason. In the South Division, however, Gwinnett is in position to earn a playoff berth with a record currently eleven games below .500. The Braves got an 11th -inning walk-off RBI single from Daniel Castro to defeat Durham 1-0 Thursday and move out in front of the rest of the division by 2.5 games. Technically each of the other three teams in the South is still alive, but the Braves could clinch as early as Friday with their magic number over Charlotte down to two. Gwinnett hosts the Bulls for two more games Friday and Saturday before wrapping up the season with a two-game set on the road at Charlotte.

The other two divisions are already in the bag. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre won its Triple-A-best 87th game on Thursday to formally lock up the North title, having already clinched a postseason berth earlier in the week. The RailRiders now await the winner of the Wild Card in the first round. Columbus has already laid claim to the IL West Division. The quest for a second consecutive Governors' Cup begins Wednesday at Huntington Park against the winner of the South Division. Columbus was the only team in the International League to win twenty games in August.

2016 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE POSTSEASON SCHEDULE.

Governors' Cup First Round (Best of Five): September 7,8 South Division Winner at Columbus, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Wild Card Winner September 9,10*,11* Columbus at South Division Winner, Wild Card Winner at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre * If Necessary

Governors' Cup Finals (Best of Five): September 13,14 South/West Division Series Winner at North/Wild Card Series Winner September 15,16*,17* North/Wild Card Series Winner at South/West Division Series Winner * If Necessary

Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game (Winner-Take-All): September 20 Pacific Coast League Champion at International League Champion (Memphis, Tennessee) 2016 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview September 2, 2016 Page Two

Preview of the Potential First Round Matchups

COL Record vs. Gwinnett: 6-0

Most Recent: Swept series at Gwinnett (4/29-5/1)

Runs Scored: 30

Runs Allowed: 9 Record: 6-0

COL Record vs. Charlotte: 6-3

Most Recent: Won 2 of 3 at Charlotte (7/29-7/31)

Runs Scored: 47

Runs Allowed: 34

Record: 6-0

COL Record vs. Durham: 6-3

Most Recent: Lost 2 of 3 at Durham (8/29-8/31)

Runs Scored: 25

Runs Allowed: 18 Record: 6-0

COL Record vs. Norfolk: 3-3

Most Recent: Lost 2 of 3 at Norfolk (7/26-7/28)

Runs Scored: 30

Runs Allowed: 21

As the Clippers watch the IL South race to see which team they'll face in the first round of the Governors' Cup playoffs, they won't have to worry about seeing an opponent who beat them in the regular season series. Norfolk came closest, splitting the six games they played against Columbus, but even the Tides were outscored by the Clippers overall. Columbus managed to sweep all six games versus Gwinnett, though the Clippers and G-Braves haven't met on the field since the first month of the season.

SWB Record vs. Lehigh Valley: 10-8

Most Recent: Split 2-Game Series at Lehigh Valley (8/22-8/23)

Runs Scored: 72

Runs Allowed: 59

SWB Record vs. Rochester: 8-9

Most Recent: Split 2-Game Series at Rochester (8/28-8/29)

Runs Scored: 69

Runs Allowed: 62

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Lehigh Valley are hardly strangers, having met eighteen times in the regular season with the RailRiders taking the season series 10-8. Just 74 miles separate the League's two Pennsylvania ballparks. If Rochester makes the playoffs, they'll do so with a string of eight straight wins.

Manager of the Year Al Pedrique Looks to Cap Season with Cup

In his first season in the IL, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre skipper Al Pedrique was elected the International League Manager of the Year. He now looks to add a Governors' Cup title to his mantle, a feat accomplished by sixteen previous Managers of the Year in the same season in which they were honored. If Pedrique's RailRiders win this year's championship, he'll join the esteemed listing below:

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE YEAR & GOVERNORS' CUP CHAMPION

1967 Jack Tighe, Toledo 1984 Tony Torchia, Pawtucket 1999 Tom Spencer, Charlotte

1970 Frank Verdi, Syracuse 1988 Johnny Oates, Rochester 2004 Marty Brown, Buffalo

1971 Joe Altobelli, Rochester 1990 Greg Biagini, Rochester 2005 Larry Parrish, Toledo

1972 Hank Bauer, Tidewater 1994 Grady Little, Richmond 2011 Mike Sarbaugh, Columbus

1975 Joe Frazier, Tidewater 1997 Marv Foley, Rochester 2013 Charlie Montoyo, Durham

1980 Joe Altobelli, Columbus

George Grande and Jim Kaat will be back on the call for the Triple-A National Championship Game 2016 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview September 2, 2016 Page Three

Pacific Coast League Winner Will Meet IL Champion in Memphis PCL American Northern Division Update The Oklahoma City Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers) have won back-to-back division titles in their two seasons affiliated with the Dodgers. OKC clinched on August 28 with a 6-1 victory over 2nd place Colorado Springs. The Dodgers will open the playoffs at home against Nashville, against whom they went 10-6 head-to-head in the regular season.

PCL American Southern Division Update On August 26 the Nashville Sounds (Oakland Athletics) became the PCL's first team to clinch a division title this season, beating their in-state rivals from Memphis 5-3 for the victory that sealed it. The Sounds own the PCL's best ERA with the fewest runs allowed. This marks the 12th PCL division title in 17 years for an Oakland affiliate (the first paired with Nashville). PCL Pacific Northern Division Update The PCL Northern Division was the last of the four to be locked up. Thursday, the Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners) moved to 5.5 games ahead of 2nd place Reno to clinch the team's first trip to the postseason since 2010. The Rainiers will face El Paso in the first round, against whom they went 11-5 during the regular season. PCL Pacific Southern Division Update The El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres) wrapped up the PCL Pacific Southern Division for the second straight season, clinching at home Wednesday with a 5-0 shutout of Las Vegas. El Paso is the division's only team with a winning record. The PCL's top-hitting club is guided by manager Rob Barajas. El Paso fell in the first round last season to eventual-champ Fresno.

Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game Returns to NBCSN The team emerging from the Pacific Coast League playoffs will earn the right to meet the IL's Governors' Cup champion on Tuesday, September 20 at the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game. The IL squad will be the home team in Memphis as a result of the League's victory in July's Triple-A All-Star Game.

George Grande, former play-by-play voice of the Yankees, Cardinals, and Reds, returns to call his fifth Triple-A National Championship Game. He'll be alongside former big league All- Star pitcher Jim Kaat.

The 2016 Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game will once again be televised live on NBCSN. The American Forces Network will also be showcasing the Game, bringing the event to nearly one million men and women of the U-S Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines stationed around the globe in 175 countries and on the high seas. Additionally, the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game Radio Network will bring the action to flagship Triple-A radio outlets across the country.

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International League Stories from September 2, 2016


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