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IL1 International League

IL Playoff Picture Taking Shape With 11 Days To Go

August 24, 2012 - International League (IL1) News Release


Last night the first team punched its ticket to the 2012 Governors' Cup playoffs. Entering Thursday with a magic number of two, the Indianapolis Indians defeated Louisville 6-1 while Columbus lost 10-3 to Toledo to clinch the Tribe's first West Division title since 2006. It doesn't appear the Indians will have to wait long to learn who their first round opponent will be. The Charlotte Knights now have a magic number of just one to secure their first South Division championship in six years. Charlotte was a 2-1 winner last night over Pawtucket while 2nd place Norfolk suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Durham. The one division race which had appeared it was headed for a photo finish was the North, but thanks to eight straight victories the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are now firmly in the driver's seat. Yesterday's 11-inning victory at Buffalo lowered SWB's magic number to five. Three other clubs from the North Division (Pawtucket, Lehigh Valley, and Rochester) along with Columbus from the West and Norfolk from the South all find themselves battling for the Wild Card. Pawtucket currently leads that race by a half-game.

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

Could Ballpark Groundbreaking Precede Governors' Cup Celebration?

Yesterday Charlotte officials announced that the official groundbreaking for the new Knights stadium will take place on September 14. The downtown facility (to be named BB&T Ballpark) is awaiting the completion of the upcoming Democratic National Convention - once that concludes, construction work and the changing of traffic patterns will begin promptly. Should this year's Charlotte Knights team advance to the Governors' Cup finals, they would be scheduled to host Game 4 of the finals that evening (if necessary) in their current ballpark. The Knights will continue to play their home games in nearby Fort Mill, South Carolina until the new stadium opens in 2014.

The Future BB&T Ballpark

International League Tiebreaking Procedures

With every team still on track to complete their full 144-game regular season schedule, several contenders are beginning to look ahead at what could happen if they finish the season tied with another team.

While it does not appear there will be any ties for a division championship this season, there are five teams within 4.0 games of each other for the Wild Card lead. Per League rules there will not be any play-in games to determine the Wild Card participant in the postseason. Any teams that finish tied for the Wild Card position would be subjected to the following criteria to determine who advances.

1) The team with the most wins in the head-to-head season series; or if still tied....

2) The team with the highest winning percentage during intradivisional play; or if still tied....

3) The team with the highest winning percentage against the other two division winners; or if still tied....

4) The team with the greatest differential of runs scored and runs allowed during the regular season; or if still tied....

5) The President of the League will flip a coin.

Governors' Cup Brings Validation to Major League Organizations

The club that wins the 2012 Governors' Cup championship will give its parent organization much to be proud of and much to look forward to. The New York Yankees lead all Major League teams by having been the affiliate of the Governors' Cup champion 15 times (in 73 seasons partnered with an IL club).

Conversely, organizations such as the Phillies and Red Sox have gone decades since winning their last IL Governors' Cup. Philadelphia affiliates got it done in 1954 (Syracuse) and 1961 (Buffalo), but since that time the Phillies have partnered with IL teams in Arkansas, Toledo, Maine, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Ottawa, and now Lehigh Valley without winning another Cup. Then there are the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins, both still seeking their organization's first Governors' Cup despite having a combined total of 55 seasons affiliated with International League teams.

GOVERNORS' CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR MLB AFFILIATES (CURRENT CONTENDERS)

Major League Current IL Gov. Cup Last Seasons

Team Affiliate Championships Gov. Cup in IL

Baltimore Norfolk 7 1997 58th

Boston Pawtucket 4 1984 50th

Chicago (AL) Charlotte 2 1999 15th

Cleveland Columbus 7 2011 36th

Minnesota Rochester 0 N/A 21st

New York (AL) Scranton/WB 15 2008 74th

Philadelphia Lehigh Valley 2 1961 45th

Pittsburgh Indianapolis 0 N/A 34th

Indianapolis Clinches West;

Focus Turns to Wild Card Race as Division Leaders Pull Away

NORTH DIVISION REPORT: Just one week ago there were four teams still very much in the mix for the North Division title, but eight straight wins by the 1st place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York Yankees) has seemingly settled the issue. Since dropping three out of four to Indianapolis in the first series of August, SWB has gone 16-4 to pull away from their competition. That leaves the trailing Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston Red Sox), Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies), and Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota Twins) chasing each other for the Wild Card. The once hard-charging Red Wings have dropped five of their last seven, but fans in Rochester are still likely to get to see playoff baseball this season. All Scranton/Wilkes-Barre "home" playoff games in 2012 will be played at Frontier Field in Rochester, New York.

** Fact of the Week ** - Playing as the home team this season, SWB has gone 40-28; playing as the visitors, SWB has gone 38-28.

WEST DIVISION REPORT: The Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates) became the first International League team to reach the 80-win plateau with last night's clincher against Louisville. Since joining the IL in 1998, the Tribe's winningest season came in their Governors' Cup championship season of 2000 when the team went 81-63. Dean Treanor's 2012 Indians need to win just two of their final 11 games to finish better than that mark. The 2nd-place Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) have lost four of their last six games, especially disappointing for the two-time defending champions because they were facing the bottom two teams in the West.

** Fact of the Week ** - Columbus owns the IL's most proficient offense this season with 653 runs scored (Scranton/WB is 2nd with 624 runs).

SOUTH DIVISION REPORT: Tonight could be the night that the Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox) clinch their first South Division flag since 2006. The next Charlotte victory or loss by the 2nd-place Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles) will officially end the division race. The Tides are in the midst of an eight-game stretch in which they only play Durham, but so far Norfolk has been unable to capitalize. Norfolk dropped the series opener at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Wednesday 2-0, and last night they were on the wrong end of a 3-2 final score. Charlotte, on the other hand, has won ten of its last 12 contests and will be playing at home in nine of its final 11 games. In the last nine seasons, just one South Division champion went on to win the Governors' Cup (Durham, 2009).

** Fact of the Week ** - The Charlotte Knights own the League's best record in games in which they score first (55-20).

WILD CARD REPORT: Last night each of the four top Wild Card contenders lost, leaving the race for the International League's fourth and final playoff berth very much up for grabs. The leaders continue to be the Pawtucket Red Sox, owners of a mere half-game lead over Lehigh Valley. The IronPigs missed a chance to pass Pawtucket when they fell 5-3 to Rochester, who is now 5th in the Wild Card race despite being just 4.0 games back of the leaders. Tonight's 7:05 p.m. matchup at Frontier Field between the Red Wings and IronPigs represents the final regular season head-to-head contest between any of the top five Wild Card contenders. The team that wins the Wild Card will likely face the current North-leaders, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, in the first round of the postseason.

** Fact of the Week ** - The last time the PawSox and SWB Yankees met in the postseason was in 2008, when SWB ultimately won the Gov. Cup.

SERIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

August 23-26: Pawtucket @ Charlotte

The PawSox continue their push for the Wild Card with three more games at Knights Stadium in a potential Governors' Cup finals preview. Charlotte won the series opener last night, 2-1.

August 25-27: Columbus @ Indianapolis

With the possibility of a division title now gone, the Clippers face 1st place Indianapolis for the final time in the regular season. Columbus has won 10 of 18 head-to-head with the Indians so far this season.

August 25-27: Scranton/WB @ Lehigh Valley; August 29-30: Lehigh Valley @ Scranton/WB

Coca-Cola Park in Lehigh Valley will host five games between the Yankees and IronPigs in a six-day period. SWB will be the home team for the final two games next Wednesday and Thursday.

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 24:

American North American South

Division Champs Albuquerque 76-57 -- New Orleans 72-61 4.0

Okl. City 70-62 5.5

Round Rock 63-70 13.0

ALB Magic # = 8

Omaha

Pacific North Pacific South

Reno 74-59 -- Sacramento 81-52 -- Col. Spr. 70-62 3.5 Las Vegas 74-58 6.5

Salt Lake 68-65 6.0 Fresno 68-65 13.0

Tacoma 57-76 17.0 Tucson 50-82 30.5

RENO Magic # = 9 SAC Magic # = 5

WILD CARD LEADERS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Pawtucket 71-62 .534 -- 11

Lehigh Valley 71-63 .530 0.5 10

Columbus 68-65 .511 3.0 11

Norfolk 68-66 .507 3.5 10

Rochester 67-66 .504 4.0 11

IMPACTING THE RACE

LHP Dana Eveland

Norfolk

2-0, 1.44 ERA, 19 SO

(Past Three Weeks)

Head-to-Head Season Series Results Between Top Wild Card Contenders

Columbus vs. Lehigh Valley: Columbus won series 7-1 Lehigh Valley vs. Pawtucket: Tied 8-8

Columbus vs. Norfolk: Columbus won series 5-3 Lehigh Valley vs. Rochester: Lehigh Valley leads 8-7 (last game tonight)

Columbus vs. Pawtucket: Tied 4-4 Norfolk vs. Pawtucket: Tied 4-4

Columbus vs. Rochester: Rochester won series 6-2 Norfolk vs. Rochester: Rochester won series 6-2

Lehigh Valley vs. Norfolk: Tied 4-4 Pawtucket vs. Rochester: Pawtucket won series 9-7

IL NORTH DIVISION STANDINGS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Scranton/WB 78-56 .582 -- 10

Pawtucket 71-62 .534 6.5 11

Lehigh Valley 71-63 .530 7.0 10

Rochester 67-66 .504 10.5 11

Syracuse 63-70 .474 14.5 11

Buffalo 62-71 .466 15.5 11

IMPACTING THE RACE

OF Corban Joseph

Scranton/WB

.387, 12 hits, 3 HR, 13 RBI

(Past seven days)

IL WEST DIVISION STANDINGS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Indianapolis 80-53 .602 -- 11

Columbus 68-65 .511 12.0 11

Toledo 56-78 .418 24.5 10

Louisville 50-84 .373 30.5 10

IMPACTING THE RACE

RHP Tim Wood

Indianapolis

6 Saves, 0.92 ERA, 22 SO

(Since July 20)

IL SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Charlotte 78-55 .586 -- 11

Norfolk 68-66 .507 10.5 10

Durham 62-72 .463 16.5 10

Gwinnett 60-73 .451 18.0 11

IMPACTING THE RACE

OF Greg Golson

Charlotte

Team-best 21 hits & 13 RBI

(In August)

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International League Stories from August 24, 2012


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