Quest for Governor's Cup Begins
Published on September 4, 2002 under International League (IL1) News Release
The International League's 70 th Annual Governors' Cup Playoffs begin tonight with four teams battling to take home the championship. Things are buzzing in Toledo, where the Mud Hens won the IL West by 2.0 games over Louisville to enter the Governors' Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1984. The Mud Hens, in their first season at Fifth Third Field, open their five-game series with South Division Champion Durham tonight at home. The Bulls won the South Division for the fourth time in the past five years. The other semifinal again pits the Buffalo Bisons (Wild Card Winner) against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (North Division Champions). This marks the third straight season the two clubs have met in the IL semifinals. Scranton/WB won both previous series, three games to one in 2000 and 3-2 last year. Both the Bulls and Red Barons enter the playoffs looking for a first Governors' Cup Title. Toledo has won one IL Championship (1967) while Buffalo has collected five (1933, 1936, 1957, 1961, 1998).
Toledo, Durham Clinch Berths in Weekend Series
While Buffalo and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre had secured playoff berths entering play last Friday (the Red Barons' 6-2 win over Pawtucket on Friday clinched the Division Championship for SWB), both Toledo and Durham needed weekend victories to advance. The Mud Hens entered play on Friday with a 1.0 game lead over Louisville and failed to stretch the lead, losing to Columbus 6-5, while Louisville fell at Indianapolis. The Mud Hens took care of business over the remainder of the weekend, winning their final three games (all against Columbus), winning the Title outright on Sunday with a 14-2 victory in front of a sell-out crowd at Fifth Third Field.
Durham defeated Richmond 7-1 on Friday night as Jason Tyner went 4-4 and Matt Luke drove in three runs as the Bulls built an insurmountable 4.0 game lead in the South Division over the R-Braves. The club closed the season by taking two of three games from Charlotte at rain-soaked Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Division Leaders Stand Out Among IL Clubs
The IL's three Division Champions completed impressive regular seasons that were record-setting in many ways. The Scranton/Wilkes- Barre Red Barons' 91 victories set a franchise record, breaking the mark of 85 set in 2000. Surprisingly, the 90+ win season was the second consecutive by an IL club (Buffalo also won 91 in 2001). In the 38 seasons from 1963-2000, only one IL member won 90 or more games in a season - Columbus with 95 in 1992.
South Division Champion Durham (80-64) continued their streak of finishing with a +.500 record. Since Triple-A Expansion/Realignment brought four clubs to the IL in 1998, the Bulls are the only IL club (and one of two Triple-A teams with Salt Lake) to finish with a better than .500 record in each season. As the only club to win their Division four times during this stretch, Durham ties Buffalo (3 Division Titles/1 Wild Card) and Scranton/WB (2 Division Titles/2 Wild Cards) for most playoff berths in the past five years.
The Toledo Mud Hens ended regular season play with an 81-63 record, the club's first winning season since 1991 (74-40) and only the ninth wining season since the club joined the IL in 1965. The last time a Mud Hens club had 80 or more wins was in 1968, when the club was 83-64.
International League Stories from September 4, 2002
- Bulls Win Game One, 4-3 - Durham Bulls
- Hens Sellout Playoff Game Number 1 - Toledo Mud Hens
- Almonte Finishes Third in League in Rolaids Contest - Charlotte Knights
- Quest for Governor's Cup Begins - IL1
- Crede Wins AL Player of the Week - Charlotte Knights
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
