Regular Season Enters Final Weekend; Bats & Bulls Are In, Yankees and Braves Pull Close
September 4, 2009 - International League (IL1) News Release
The four teams who will do battle in the 2009 Governors' Cup Playoffs are close to being locked in. Last night Durham joined Louisville as the second team to officially clinch a spot in the International League postseason. At 80-60, the Bulls have clinched at least the Wild Card berth, and if their current 2.0 game lead in the South holds up through the weekend, Durham will face West champion Louisville in the first round of the playoffs. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees could clinch their fourth straight North Division title this evening, as their magic number is down to one. The 2nd place Syracuse Chiefs are also still alive in the Wild Card race, but they trail Gwinnett by 3.5 games, meaning the Braves have a magic number of just two to eliminate the Chiefs. Gwinnett would clinch a playoff spot in its first season in the IL with a win tonight at Norfolk coupled with a Syracuse loss in Pawtucket. The last five games for the Chiefs (including a doubleheader Sunday) come against the 5th place PawSox, from whom they have taken seven of the first eleven meetings this season. Pawtucket will start Daisuke Matsuzaka in a rehab assignment against Syracuse tonight.
The International League Playoffs will begin on Wednesday in the home ballparks of the South Division Champion and the Wild Card club. In the IL's predetermined format, the Wild Card club will face the North Division Winner while the South Champion will face the West Division Champion (LOU) in a best-of-five first round series. Following a pair of games hosted by the Wild Card club and South Division winning clubs, the series will shift to the opponents' stadiums for the final three games as necessary.
The survivors of the two first round battles will advance to the best-of-five Governors' Cup Championship Series to begin on September 15 in the city of either the South or West Division Champion. After two games, the series will resume at the home of either the North Division Champion or Wild Card club on September 17 for the final three games as necessary.
New York Yankees Looking for Record 16th Governors' Cup In the first 76 years that the Governors' Cup trophy has been awarded to the IL's postseason champion, affiliates of the New York Yankees have won the Cup 15 times - more than twice as many as any other Major League organization.
The first IL club ever to be affiliated with the Bronx Bombers was the Newark Bears, who were purchased (along with their ballpark) by Colonel Jacob Ruppert in 1932. The Bears won Governors' Cups in 1937, 1938, 1940, and 1945. The next Cup captured by a Yankees Triple-A club didn't come until 1969, when Syracuse won the first of two in a row. The Chiefs won another Governors' Cup as a Yankees affiliate in 1976 under manager Bobby Cox. In 1979, New York entered into an agreement with the Columbus Clippers, beginning one of the most successful partnerships in Minor League history. Columbus became the only team ever to win three straight Governors' Cups from 1979-81, and later the Clippers won four more between 1987 and 1996. The 15th Governors' Cup for the Yankees came last year, in their second season affiliated with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre club.
After the Yankees, the organization with the most Governors' Cups to its credit is the Dodgers with 7, followed by the Orioles, Reds, and Mets with 6, and the Braves, Indians, and Cardinals with 5. 2009 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview September 4, 2009 Page Two
Previewing the Potential First Round Matchups
The four teams headed to the IL postseason are all but set, however the first round matchups are not. The winner of the IL South Division will face the IL West champion (Louisville) while the Wild Card club will meet the IL North champion (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre can clinch tonight). Thus, the first round matchups depend on which team comes out on top in the IL South. Should Durham and Gwinnett finish tied in the standings, the teams would be declared co-champions of the division. Since the teams are tied in their head-to-head series (11-11), Durham would enter the playoffs in the slot of the division champion by virtue of a superior record within the South.
International League Stories from September 4, 2009
- Bats Escape With A Win Over Indianapolis In 16 Innings - Indianapolis Indians
- Knights End Home Finale on a Sour Note - Charlotte Knights
- Gwinnett wins over Norfolk - Norfolk Tides
- Hellickson helps Bulls move closer to division title - Durham Bulls
- Indians & Their Corporate Partners Raise Over $25,000 - Indianapolis Indians
- Bisons Game Notes September 4th - Buffalo Bisons
- Regular Season Enters Final Weekend; Bats & Bulls Are In, Yankees and Braves Pull Close - IL1
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.
