IL Postseason Positioning
Durham, Louisville, Pawtucket hold on to division leads, while six more clubs remain in contention for International League wild card playoff spot.

08.08.03 - With a little over three weeks remaining in the 2003 season, International League teams are gearing up for exciting Division races that should stretch into September as teams compete for the right to play for the Governors' Cup.

All three Division leaders currently hold at least a four game lead with the Louisville Bats having the largest cushion, a 7.0 game advantage over Toledo in the West.

After dominating Buffalo over the past two weeks, the Pawtucket Red Sox have seized control of the IL North and currently have a 4.5 game margin over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons and a 5.0 game lead on the Buffalo Bisons.

The Red Barons and Bisons have both advanced to the playoffs each of the past three seasons, but will need to over take Pawtucket to extend that streak.

The defending Governors' Cup Champion Durham Bulls look poised to defend their title as they have a 4.0 game spread over the charging Charlotte Knights in the South. The Bulls are looking for their fifth South Division Crown in the past six seasons.

The non-division winning club with the highest winning percentage will claim the circuit's fourth playoff position as a Wild Card.

This looks to be a battle between three North Division clubs as only one game separates current leader Scranton/WB, Buffalo and Ottawa. Should these teams falter, Charlotte (-2.5), Toledo (-3.5), and Columbus (-4.0) could capture the Wild Card berth with an extended hot streak.

The International League's 71st Annual Governors' Cup Playoffs will begin on September 3rd 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 Champ in a best-of-five First Round Series.

Following a pair of games hosted by the Wild Card and South Division Winning clubs; the series will shift to the opponents' stadiums for the final three games as necessary.

The survivors of these two battles will advance to the best-of-five Governors' Cup Championship Series to begin on September 9th in the city of either the West or South Division Champion. After two games, the series will resume at the home of either the North Division Champion or Wild Card Club on September 11th for the final three games as necessary.

Standings on August 8 Usually a Playoff Indicator

Things look good for current Division leaders Durham, Louisville, and Pawtucket.

Since the Triple-A Realignment/Expansion added four clubs to the IL's membership and resulted in an adjustment to the playoff format in 1998, the League standings on August 8 have been a good indicator of which teams would advance to the International League's Governors' Cup Playoffs.

Of the twenty clubs that have led either their respective Division or the Wild Card Race on August 8, eighteen have advanced to post-season play.

Only the 2000 Indianapolis Indians and the 1999 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons were able to overcome deficits on August 8 to secure playoff berths. The 2000 Indians' club was successful in riding a late season surge to capture the Governors' Cup Championship.

IL Governors' Cup Playoffs Started Minor League Trend

Former International League President Frank "Shag" Shaughnessy, then the Montreal General Manager, introduced his playoff system to League directors in 1933 and the Governors' Cup was born.

In an era when the season ended with the team in first place considered the pennant winner, "Shag" was looking to maintain interest for more than the one or two clubs involved in that race at the conclusion of each season.

Shaughnessy proposed a playoff format in which four clubs would be involved.

That year, fourth place Buffalo, with a losing record during the regular season, defeated Rochester and Baltimore en route to the first Governors' Cup Title, ahead of pennant-winner Newark, which had a 14.5 game lead at the close of regular season play.

Several other Minor Leagues saw the success of the IL's post-season championship and followed suit.

Now, all 20 National Association Leagues have some sort of playoff system to end the season.

The Governors' Cup, to be awarded annually to the post-season champion was 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, hence the name.

After 55 years of service, the original Governors' Cup was given a permanent home in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown following the 1988 season.

A new trophy was created and currently resides at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the 2002 Governors' Cup playoff champion Durham Bulls.