2009 International League season

The 2009 International League season began on Thursday, April 9, with all fourteen teams competing on opening day. The regular season ended on Monday, September 7.

2009 International League Season
LeagueInternational League
SportBaseball
DurationApril 9 – September 7, 2009
Number of games143
Number of teams16
Regular season
Season championsLouisville Bats
Season MVPShelley Duncan
Governors' Cup
ChampionsDurham Bulls (3rd)
  Runners-upScranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees

In the semifinal playoff rounds, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees defeated the Gwinnett Braves 3-1 and the Durham Bulls defeated the Louisville Bats 3-2. The Bulls swept the Yankees 3-0 in the championship series to win the Governors' Cup.

Teams

Division Team MLB Affiliation City Stadium Capacity
North Buffalo Bisons New York Mets Buffalo, New York Coca-Cola Field 19,500
Lehigh Valley IronPigs Philadelphia Phillies Allentown, Pennsylvania Coca-Cola Park 10,000
Pawtucket Red Sox Boston Red Sox Pawtucket, Rhode Island McCoy Stadium 10,031
Rochester Red Wings Minnesota Twins Rochester, New York Frontier Field 10,868
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees New York Yankees Moosic, Pennsylvania PNC Field 10,310
Syracuse Chiefs Washington Nationals Syracuse, New York Alliance Bank Stadium 11,117
South Charlotte Knights Chicago White Sox Fort Mill, South Carolina Knights Stadium 10,002
Durham Bulls Tampa Bay Rays Durham, North Carolina Durham Bulls Athletic Park 10,000
Gwinnett Braves Atlanta Braves Lawrenceville, Georgia Gwinnett County Ballpark 10,099
Norfolk Tides Baltimore Orioles Norfolk, Virginia Harbor Park 12,067
West Columbus Clippers Cleveland Indians Columbus, Ohio Huntington Park 10,000
Indianapolis Indians Pittsburgh Pirates Indianapolis, Indiana Victory Field 15,500
Louisville Bats Cincinnati Reds Louisville, Kentucky Louisville Slugger Field 13,131
Toledo Mud Hens Detroit Tigers Toledo, Ohio Fifth Third Field 10,300

Team rosters

Before the Season

Affiliation changes

Before the 2009 season, three IL teams signed player development contracts (PDC) with different parent clubs.

The Columbus Clippers signed a four-year PDC with the Cleveland Indians through 2012 on September 18, 2008. The Clippers had previously been affiliated with the Washington Nationals for two years after ending their 28-year partnership with the New York Yankees. The Indians become the Clippers' third affiliate in four years.

The Syracuse Chiefs signed a two-year PDC with the Washington Nationals through 2010 on September 20, 2008. The Chiefs had previously been affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays since 1978 and had been the only Triple-A affiliate in Toronto's history.

The Buffalo Bisons signed a two-year PDC with the New York Mets through 2010 on September 21, 2008. The Bisons had previously been affiliated with the Cleveland Indians for 14 seasons, winning three league championships (2 in the IL, 1 in the AA). The Bisons adopted a new logo and the Mets' team colors as their own to reflect the new partnership.

Team changes

After 43 seasons and 5 Governor's Cup championships, the Richmond Braves moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia becoming the Gwinnett Braves. One factor in the franchise's decision to relocate was reportedly a failure to reach an agreement on building a new ballpark in Richmond.

New stadiums

The Columbus Clippers moved from Cooper Stadium to Huntington Park in Columbus' Arena District. The stadium, which cost $56 million and will seat 10,000, opened on April 18 as the Clippers hosted their rival Toledo Mud Hens. Columbus-based bank holding company Huntington Bancshares Inc. bought the stadium's naming rights $12 million over 23 years.

The newly relocated Gwinnett Braves (formerly Richmond Braves) moved into Gwinnett Stadium in Lawrenceville, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. The 10,000 seat stadium is a focal point of a planned mixed-use entertainment district and opened on April 17 as the Braves host the Norfolk Tides. As of February 2009, the naming rights to the stadium have not been sold.

Regular season

Opening Day

April 9 is the Opening Day of the 2009 International League season. The following games are scheduled:

All-star game

The 2009 Triple-A All-Star Game was the 22nd meeting between all-stars of the International and Pacific Coast leagues, with the game taking place on July 17 at PGE Park in Portland, Oregon. For the twelfth time, the International League would field a team of its best players to compete against the host Pacific Coast League's best players. The International League would even up the All-Star Game series, with a 6-5 win over the Pacific Coast League all-stars. The PCL held a six games to five lead over the IL before the game.

Standings

International League - North Division
W L Pct. GB
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees8160.574
Syracuse Chiefs7668.528
Lehigh Valley IronPigs7173.49311½
Rochester Red Wings7074.48612½
Pawtucket Red Sox6182.42721
Buffalo Bisons5687.39226
International League - South Division
W L Pct. GB
Durham Bulls8361.576
Gwinnett Braves8163.5632
Norfolk Tides7171.50011
Charlotte Knights6776.46915½
International League - West Division
W L Pct. GB
Louisville Bats8458.592
Toledo Mud Hens7370.51011½
Indianapolis Indians7073.49014½
Columbus Clippers5785.40127

y-division champion
x-wild card winner

League leaders

Batting Champions

Stat Player Total
AVGJordan Brown.336
HRShelley Duncan30
RBIShelley Duncan99
RShelley Duncan85
HJesus Feliciano154
SBDrew Stubbs46

Pitching Champions

Stat Player Total
WJustin Lehr13
LCharlie Zink15
ERACarlos Torres2.39
SOCarlos Carrasco148
IPWade Davis158.2
SVLuis Valdez27

Playoffs

The 2009 International League playoffs will take place at the conclusion of the regular season in September.

Semifinals Governors' Cup
      
N Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 3
WC Gwinnett 1
N Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 0
W Durham 3
W Louisville 2
S Durham 3

References

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