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IL1 International League

Governors' Cup Playoffs Begin Tonight

September 9, 2009 - International League (IL1) News Release


The International League postseason begins tonight as four clubs battle for the 2009 Governors' Cup title. For the first time in IL history, the League returns every division winner to the postseason from the previous year. That includes the defending Governors' Cup Champions from the IL North, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, who will travel south to open the playoffs at the home of the Wild Card club, the Gwinnett Braves. The International League's first postseason game in Georgia since 1965 will get underway tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Gwinnett Stadium. After two games at the home of the Braves, the best-of-five first round series will shift to PNC Field in Pennsylvania for the final three games as necessary. The Yankees took five of the eight games played between the two clubs during the regular season, though they haven't met since just after the All-Star break. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise is making its eighth appearance in the postseason since 1999, while Gwinnett is attempting to become the fifth franchise in League history to win the Governors' Cup in its very first season in the IL (Atlanta 1962, Indianapolis 1963, Pawtucket 1973, and Charlotte 1993).

350 miles away in Durham, North Carolina, the Bulls, winners of the South Division, will welcome the West Champion Louisville Bats to town for a rematch of a first round series from last season. Louisville posted the League's best regular season record at 84-58, but they have never beaten Durham in the playoffs in three tries. The Bulls also won the regular season series this year, taking five out of eight against the Bats. Game 1 begins tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Bulls have come up short in each of the last two Governors' Cup finals, dropping the 2007 series to the Braves (Richmond) and the 2008 finals to the Yankees, so a first round win in 2009 will give Durham a chance for redemption. Louisville hasn't won a postseason series since their 2001 Governors' Cup title, awarded after the finals were cut short by the attacks of September 11.

Governors' Cup Trophy to be Awarded for 77th Time

When Frank "Shag" Shaughnessy introduced his playoff system to the IL in 1933, the Governors' Cup was born. Sponsored by the Governors of New York, New Jersey, and Maryland, as well as the Lieutenant Governors of the Canadian Provinces of Quebec and Ontario, the trophy known as the Governors' Cup has been awarded to the International League's postseason champion in each of the 76 years since. The original Governors' Cup now resides at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, while a new trophy has been in circulation since 1988. Among this season's contenders, Durham leads the way with two titles, although Richmond (precursor to Gwinnett) was tied for 6th all-time with five Governors' Cup championships.

2009 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview September 9, 2009 Page Two

Breaking Down the Contenders

Durham Bulls

For the third time in three years as manager, Charlie Montoyo has led his Durham club to an IL South Division championship. The Bulls return to the Governors' Cup playoffs for the ninth time in twelve seasons since joining the International League, seeking their third postseason title. This year Durham won the South thanks in large part to their domination within the division, finishing 39-25 against South opponents (compared to 32-32 for Gwinnett). The Bulls boast a powerful offense that led the League with 137 home runs and 683 runs scored, while their pitching staff struck out an IL-best 1,050 batters. Durham earns a rematch with Louisville, who they defeated 3 games to 1 in a first round series last September.

Gwinnett Braves

Gwinnett has made the playoffs in its first season in the IL, although Atlanta's Triple-A affiliate is just two years removed from a Governors' Cup title won in 2007 with Richmond. That year, the Braves lost a tight race for the South Division by 2.0 games to Durham but went on to defeat the Yankees and Bulls to win the Cup. That's a scenario manager Dave Brundage would enjoy repeating in 2009. Unlike their first round opponent, the Braves were slow out of the gate this April, losing 12 of their first 17 games. By August however, Gwinnett was in front of the South Division, and didn't yield to Durham until September 2. With the League's 2nd- highest scoring offense, the Braves won the Wild Card by a comfortable 5.0-game margin over Syracuse.

Louisville Bats

The IL's best regular season record in 2009 belongs to the Louisville Bats, who cruised to a second-straight IL West championship with an 84-58 mark. Louisville Slugger Field proved the toughest venue for opposing teams in the IL this season, as the Bats went 45-27 at home (no other team won more than 41 home games). Skipper Rick Sweet, the IL's Manager of the Year, piloted a balanced club that was 3rd in the League in home runs (129), steals (132), and 4th in runs (649), while pitching the 2nd-highest number of shutouts (15) and limiting opponents to the 2nd-fewest number of runs (555). The last two times the Bats won the IL West (2003, 2008), they fell to Durham in the first round.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre won its first 11 games in 2009 and 23 of its first 28 to begin a wire-to-wire campaign on top of the IL North. The franchise becomes the first in IL history to win four consecutive division titles. Manager Dave Miley's pitching staff led the League with a 3.32 ERA and 16 shutouts, while his offense scored 654 runs, 3rd-most in the IL. The Yankees are the only team in the League with fewer than 30 losses on the road this season, which bodes well as they open the playoffs in Gwinnett. Scranton/WB finished the regular season on a positive note, winning eight of the club's last ten games. The Yankees are attempting to become the third team this decade to win consecutive Governors' Cups (Durham 2002-03, Toledo 2005-06).

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