IL1 International League

Seven Teams Vie for Four Slots in Playoffs

Published on August 10, 2007 under International League (IL1) News Release


With just over three weeks remaining in the 2007 International League regular season, several teams are fighting for a trip to the Governors' Cup Playoffs. The largest division lead belongs to the Toledo Mud Hens, the two-time defending League Champions. Entering play tonight, the Mud Hens enjoy a 7.0 game advantage in the IL West Division over 2nd-place Indianapolis. Richmond has been atop the IL South since April 11, but the Braves have seen their lead (once as high as 10.0 games) shrink to 3.5 games over Durham. The Bulls have won at a .629 clip since July 1 to force the issue in the Southern Division. In the IL North, three clubs are still very much in the running, although the 1st-place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees have won four games in the last two days to give themselves a season-high 4.0 game advantage in the division. The Yankees have ten games remaining against their two closest competitors in the North, meaning Rochester and Buffalo still have an opportunity to close the gap. The fourth and final playoff slot will go to the Wild Card club (the team with the best winning percentage among non-division winners). The chase for the Wild Card slot is extremely tight; only 3.5 games separate Durham, Rochester, Buffalo, and Indianapolis. The Bulls currently hold the lead by less than one percentage point over the Red Wings.

The International League Playoffs will begin on September 5 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 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 11 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 the Wild Card club on September 13 for the final three games as necessary.

Exactly How Much Baseball is Still to be Played? Mother Nature has caused the cancellation of a handful of games in the International League this year, something which may play a role in the final standings. Among teams still in contention for the postseason, only Rochester and Toledo (last year's finalists) still have a chance to complete all 144 games from the original schedule. A summary of the games remaining for each of the contenders follows:

Buffalo - 25 Games (15 Home / 10 Away) for a total of 142

Durham - 24 Games (12 Home / 12 Away) for a total of 143

Indianapolis - 26 Games (15 Home / 11 Away) for a total of 143*

Richmond - 25 Games (16 Home / 9 Away) for a total of 142

Rochester - 24 Games (14 Home / 10 Away) for a total of 144

Scranton/WB - 25 Games (10 Home / 15 Away) for a total of 143

Toledo - 25 Games (12 Home / 13 Away) for a total of 144

Buffalo and Richmond have lost two games to the schedule, while Durham and Scranton/WB have lost one. (Durham will also complete a suspended game on August 25 at Norfolk.) * Indianapolis tied Norfolk on August 3, a game that will not be completed. While the individual and team statistics from that game count, the win-loss record for the Indianapolis and Norfolk clubs will only total 143 at season's end.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Looking for First Governors' Cup Title

The 2007 International League playoff picture is full of teams with a rich history of success in the Governors' Cup playoffs, with one notable exception. In the franchise's 19th season in the IL, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre club is still in search of its first Governors' Cup Championship. To achieve their goal this year, the Yankees will have to defeat teams in September with a much greater legacy of postseason glory.

The Rochester Red Wings lead all International League teams with ten Governors' Cup Championships, the last of which came in 1997. Since the trophy was first awarded in 1933, only twice have the Red Wings gone a full decade without winning a title (1940-1951 and 1975-1987). The Buffalo Bisons have six Governors' Cup Championships in their history, including two since returning to the International League in 1998 (1998 & 2004). The Richmond Braves have won the coveted trophy four times, all coming in a 17-year span between 1978 and 1994.

Right in the thick of the chase again this year is the two-time defending Governors' Cup Champion Toledo Mud Hens, who also won the title in 1967. Durham and Indianapolis have both won a pair of Governors' Cups in a relatively short tenure in the League. Indianapolis won the championship during a one-year stint in the League in 1963, and after returning in 1998, won another Governors' Cup in 2000. The Durham Bulls joined the circuit in 1998, and in their first six seasons the club made it to the Finals four times, winning in 2002 and 2003.

That makes for a total of 27 Governors' Cup Championships among the other six teams with winning records in the League in 2007, compared to zero for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees (formerly known as the Red Barons) have made it to the Finals on three occasions, only to lose each time in heartbreaking fashion.

In 1992, the Red Barons cruised to the Eastern Division title by a margin of 13.5 games over 2nd-place Pawtucket, whom they defeated in the first round of the postseason 3 games to 1 to advance to the Finals against Columbus. In the fifth and deciding game, Scranton/WB took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th, but RBI singles by Hensley Meulens, Jay Knoblauh, and Brad Ausmus gave the Clippers the Governors' Cup for the second straight year.

In 2000, Marc Bombard led Scranton/Wilkes-Barre into the Finals against Indianapolis. With the series even at two games apiece, the Red Barons sent 15-game winner Evan Thomas to the hill for the finale, but he was out-pitched by the Tribe's Tim Harikkala, who held Scranton/WB to just one run in eight innings to clinch the championship for Indianapolis.

The following season, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre returned to the Finals after winning one of the most dramatic first round series in IL history. In the early hours of the morning on September 10, 2001, the Red Barons took Game 5 in Buffalo by scoring four runs in the top of the 19th inning to win a five-hour marathon. The exhausted Scranton/WB club traveled to Louisville where they lost Game 1 of the Governors' Cup Finals later that evening. The series never made it to Game 2 - the terrorist attacks of September 11 the following morning prompted the International League to cancel the remainder of the Finals, declaring Louisville the champion on the strength of the Bats' Game 1 victory.

There may be another way of looking at International League history that shines a more favorable light on Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's chances in 2007. When Columbus first became affiliated with the New York Yankees in 1979, the Clippers won three straight Governors' Cups and went on to claim seven postseason titles during the 28-year partnership. Undoubtedly, the newly-dubbed Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees hope for similar success in their first year of affiliation with the most successful franchise in Major League Baseball history.

Three Teams Still in Hunt for IL North Crown;

West & South Divisions Entertaining Two-Team Races

NORTH DIVISION: The IL North leaders have done a lot to help themselves of late as they try to separate from the pack heading down the stretch. The 1st-place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York Yankees) have won nine of their last ten games, including six straight. Scranton/WB won back-to-back doubleheaders Wednesday and Thursday against Pawtucket, extending their lead in the North to 4.0 games. It's the largest lead the defending division champions have enjoyed in 2007. Next in line in the North are the Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota Twins), who at 65-55 trail Durham (64-54) by mere percentage points in the Wild Card chase. 6.0 games behind Scranton/WB are the 3rd-place Buffalo Bisons (Cleveland Indians), who have dropped six of their last seven games. Buffalo, who led the division race from May 6 - July 16, lost four out of five games last week at Scranton/WB. It won't be the Herd's last chance to climb back into the division race. Buffalo has four home games remaining versus the Yankees, plus eight games left against Rochester. The Bisons sit just 2.5 games back in the Wild Card chase. The Wild Card team will face the IL North Champion in the first round of the playoffs, meaning two of these three clubs could very well be facing off in September. Last year, Scranton/WB won the division by 5.5 games over Rochester, but the Red Wings won the postseason series 3 games to 1 as the Wild Card entry. Rochester could make the 2007 playoffs with many of the IL's top players. Catcher Jose Morales leads the League with a .329 batting average, while RHP Kevin Slowey has the lowest ERA (1.83). Closer Bobby Korecky leads the circuit with 31 saves. Buffalo boasts the #5 and #6 hitters in the League - OF Ben Francisco (.317) and 1B Ryan Mulhern (.308). Meanwhile, the Scranton/WB Yankees, who have lost some of their key players to New York, continue to reload with fresh talent. RHP Ian Kennedy is 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA in the first three starts of his Triple-A career, including 19 strikeouts in 17.0 IP. RHP Edwar Ramirez rejoined the team from New York in late July, and has given up just one earned run in 10.2 innings since his return. Ramirez has earned saves in his last two outings, assuming the closer's role after the promotion of Jim Brower. The Yankees still have ten games remaining against Buffalo and Rochester during the regular season.

WEST DIVISION: Last season's co-division champions once again find themselves atop the IL West in 2007, although this year one of them appears to have an advantage heading down the stretch. The Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers), who won the Governors' Cup in 2005 and 2006, hope to return to the playoffs once again this season. Toledo has never been to the IL postseason in three straight years, but with a 7.0 game lead over 2nd-place Indianapolis (Pittsburgh Pirates), they are in the driver's seat to do just that. It would, however, be premature to count the Indians out of the division race just yet. Including a two-game series this weekend in Indianapolis, the Tribe has nine games remaining against Toledo. Indianapolis would love nothing more than to spoil the postseason hopes of the current division leaders. In 2005, the two clubs met in the Governors' Cup Finals, where the Mud Hens swept the Indians three straight to win their first Governors' Cup title in nearly four decades. Last year, the two teams finished the season as co-champions of the IL West, tied at 76-66. In a one-game playoff in Toledo, the Indians fell 4-0. Even if Indianapolis can't catch Toledo this time around, Trent Jewett's club knows it is very much in the thick of the Wild Card chase. Even though they trail three other teams, the Tribe sits just 3.5 games back of Durham for the Wild Card lead. Indianapolis received a boost early last week with the return of RHP John Van Benschoten, who had been with Pittsburgh since mid-June. Van Benschoten has recorded wins in each of his first two starts since returning, holding his opponents scoreless over 13.0 innings. LHP Michael Tejera, who joined the starting rotation when Van Benschoten was promoted in June, is now among the IL leaders in ERA (3.65), posting a 7-2 record for the season. The Tribe also received a serious power-boost on July 30 with the promotion of INF Steven Pearce, one of Minor League Baseball's top sluggers. Pearce is hitting .361 with 4 HR and 7 RBI in 11 games with the Indians, including homers in each of his last three games. Pearce leads all of Minor League Baseball with 103 RBI and is tied for 3rd with 29 homers overall. The International League's top power threat this year has just returned to the Toledo lineup. 3B Mike Hessman rejoined the Mud Hens yesterday after spending three weeks with the Detroit Tigers. Despite his absence, Hessman still leads the IL with 27 HR and 86 RBI, while he's 2nd with a .544 slugging percentage. Hessman's not the only League leader in the Toledo lineup. OF Timo Perez leads the IL with 138 hits, 36 doubles, and 73 runs scored. INF Jack Hannahan has the circuit's top on-base percentage (.423). The powerful Mud Hens hope to enter the postseason with even stronger pitching than a year ago. RHP Yorman Bazardo (10-5, 3.61 ERA) and RHP Virgil Vasquez (10-5, 3.76 ERA) are a formidable 1-2 combination at the top of manager Mike Rojas' rotation, while RHP Aquilino Lopez (3-3, 2.25 ERA, 21 saves) has been solid as the team's closer.

SOUTH DIVISION: During the first half of the 2007 season, it looked like the Richmond Braves (Atlanta Braves) would run away with the South Division. Richmond took the lead on April 11, and by the middle of May their lead had grown to a full 10.0 games, the largest lead the franchise had ever enjoyed during its tenure in the IL. Since that time, the Braves' lead has slowly decreased, a process aided by the emergence of the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Devil Rays). Durham sat just one game over .500 on July 13 (47-46), but has gone 17-8 since to pull within 3.5 games of the Braves. The Bulls have added several key players over the last few weeks as they position themselves for a run at the division title or Wild Card. RHP Jae Seo joined the club in mid-June after starting the year in Tampa Bay. Seo was the Topps International League Player of the Month in July, going 4-0 with a 0.63 ERA. INF Evan Longoria, one of the top prospects in all of baseball, was promoted from Double-A on August 1 and has made an immediate impact, hitting .348 with 2 HR and 7 RBI in his first seven games at the Triple-A level. Richmond is looking to its own recent roster additions to help hold the division lead. OF Brandon Jones was promoted from Double-A on July 20 and has hit .321 with 3 HR, 11 RBI, and 3 SB since joining the R-Braves. INF Barbaro Canizares, a Cuban defector who missed over three months of the season while dealing with work visa issues, has been scorching since returning to Richmond August 1. Canizares is hitting an unbelievable .613 with six extra-base hits and 10 RBI in his first eight games this month. Richmond has gone 7-2 so far in August, hoping to hold on to the IL South lead they've held for the last 17 weeks.

WILD CARD STANDINGS: W L PCT. GB

Durham 64 54 .5424 --

Rochester 65 55 .5417 --

Buffalo 61 56 .521 2.5

Indianapolis 60 57 .513 3.5

SERIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK: August 10-11: Scranton/WB @ Rochester - The Yankees play the first two of four road games this week against their closest IL North competitors. Rochester hopes to make a run at the division crown.

August 11-12: Toledo @ Indianapolis - The Indians have nine games remaining against the Mud Hens, hoping to avenge postseason defeats to Toledo in 2005 & 2006.

August 12-13: Scranton/WB @ Buffalo - Buffalo begins a critical homestand with two games against the Yankees, against whom they've won five out of twelve matchups this year.

August 14-17: Rochester @ Buffalo - Division and Wild Card hopes are on the line when the Red Wings invade Dunn Tire Park. It's the last time the clubs will meet before the final weekend of the season.

August 15-16: Toledo @ Richmond - A possible first round preview takes place at The Diamond. The Mud Hens swept Richmond four straight when the teams last met in Toledo July 28-31.

August 16-17: Indianapolis @ Durham - Two Wild Card hopefuls meet in Durham. The Bulls took three of four from the Indians when the Tribe last visited DBAP in mid-June.

Governors' Cup Champion Will Advance to Bricktown Showdown The International League postseason contenders will also be keeping an eye on the Pacific Coast League playoff picture as the season wraps up. The club that wins the IL's Governors' Cup trophy will advance to the one-game Triple-A Baseball Championship in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, September 18 - the Bricktown Showdown, live on ESPN2. The winner of the Bricktown Showdown will be crowned the champion of Triple-A Baseball for 2007. So who will the Governors' Cup Champion face in Oklahoma City? Here's a quick look at the current division leaders in the PCL:

American North Division - Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers)

American South Division - New Orleans Zephyrs (New York Mets)

Pacific North Division - Salt Lake Bees (Los Angeles Angels)

Pacific South Division - Sacramento River Cats (Oakland A's)

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International League Stories from August 10, 2007


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