TheInternational League (IL) is aMinor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with thePacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at theTriple-A level, which is one grade belowMajor League Baseball (MLB).

International League

Classification	Triple-A (1946–present) Double-A (1912–1945) Class A (1902–1911)
Sport	Baseball
Founded	1884 (141 years ago) (1884)
No. of teams	20
Country	United States
Most recent champion(s)	Omaha Storm Chasers (2024)
Most titles	Rochester Red Wings (19)
TV partner(s)	MiLB.TV,MLB Network, and local sports networks
Official website	www.milb.com

The league traces its roots to 1884, while the modern IL began in 1912. Following MLB's reorganization of the minor leagues in 2021, it operated as theTriple-A East for one season before switching back to its previous moniker in 2022. It is so named because throughout much of its history the International League had teams inCanada andCuba as well as those in the United States. Since 2008, however, all of its teams have been based in the US. The IL's 20 teams are located in 14 states stretching fromPapillion, Nebraska, toWorcester, Massachusetts, and fromSt. Paul, Minnesota, toJacksonville, Florida.

A league champion is determined at the end of each season. TheRochester Red Wings have won 19International League titles, the most in the league's history, followed by theColumbus Clippers (11) and theBaltimore Orioles, originalBuffalo Bisons, andToronto Maple Leafs (10). During the era of theGovernors' Cup playoffs from 1933 to 2020, the most cup titles were won by Columbus (11), followed by Rochester (10) and theSyracuse Mets (8).

The International League was created from the mergers of member teams from three precursor leagues: theEastern League of 1884, which was itself a re-organization of the Interstate Association of 1883; theNew York State League, formed in 1885; and the Ontario League, also organized in 1885. The New York State League and Ontario League merged in 1886 to form the International League, and in 1887 the Eastern League was absorbed to create a ten-club league. Also in 1887, the International League passed a resolution barringAfrican Americans from playing in the league.^[1] The league collapsed soon afterwards, when the northern teams claimed that it was too onerous to travel to the south and formed theInternational Association.

The "International League" name was first used in 1886,^[2] but did not become the longterm name of the league until 1912. The league ultimately cited 1884 as the year of its foundation, through the following lineage:^[3]

• 1884:Eastern League
• 1885:New York State League
• 1886–1887: International League
• 1888–1890:International Association
• 1891:Eastern Association
• 1892–1911: Eastern League
• 1912–2020: International League

The International League was also affected by the effort to establish theFederal League as a new third major league from 1914 to 1915, with franchises being added and dropped and new ballparks built. In 1954, a franchise was awarded toHavana, Cuba, but due to political upheaval in that country it had to be moved—toJersey City, New Jersey—in the middle of the 1960 season. Another foray into theCaribbean failed when the newly created team inSan Juan, Puerto Rico, added in 1961, had to be moved toCharleston, West Virginia, in mid-season.

In June 1971, an IL all-star team beat theNew York Yankees, 15–13, in an exhibition game atSilver Stadium inRochester, New York, before a crowd of 11,001—notable players on the all-star squad includedDon Baylor,Carlton Fisk, andBobby Grich.^[4] In August 1983, another team of IL all-stars were defeated by theCleveland Indians, 8–6, in 11 innings before 11,032 fans atFranklin County Stadium inColumbus, Ohio.^[5]

The International League and theAmerican Association, another Triple-A league that operated in the Midwest, voted in 1988 to play interleague games as part of theTriple-A Alliance.^[6] The league also split into two divisions that year. The interleague concept ended in 1992, but the two league divisions remained.

In 1998, the International League reorganized into three divisions with the addition of four new teams—theBuffalo Bisons,Indianapolis Indians, andLouisville Redbirds joined from the disbanded American Association, while theDurham Bulls joined from theClass ACarolina League.^[7]

The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.^[8][9] Prior to the 2021 season,Major League Baseball (MLB) assumed control ofMinor League Baseball in a move to increase player salaries, modernize facility standards, and reduce travel through better geographical alignment.^[10] As part of this reorganization, the International League was expanded to 20 teams and temporarily renamed the "Triple-A East" for the 2021 season.^[10] Of these 20 teams, 14 were existing members of the International League,^[11] four were the easternmost teams from thePacific Coast League,^[12] one was promoted from theDouble-ASouthern League,^[13] and one moved from the independentAmerican Association of Professional Baseball.^[14] Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the Triple-A East was renamed the International League effective with the 2022 season.^[15]

The International League is divided into the East Division and the West Division, each consisting of 10 teams. As of the 2022 season, all teams play a 150-game schedule, beginning in late March and concluding in late September.^[16]

The International League uses asalary cap. As of the 2024 season, clubs are required to spend a maximum ofUS$1,610,000 on player compensation, with a minimum salary of $35,800 per player.^[17][18] For players aged 23 and younger on standard contracts, only 50% of their salary counts towards the cap (up to $250,000 total). There is also a separate salary cap for coaches and technical staff.

Rosters are limited to a size of 28 players on Opening Day weekend, although up to 9 players can be signed on the roster before the transactions date limit.

Since the 2023 season, the regular season is split into two halves. After the completion of the season, the winners of each half meet in a best-of-three series to determine aleague champion.^[19][20] From 1933 to 2019, the three division champions and awild card team squared off inseries playoffs to determine a champion, with the winner awarded theGovernors' Cup, the league's championship trophy.^[21] Following the cancelled 2020 season, rather than hold playoffs for its championship, the 2021 title was awarded to the team with the best regular-season record.^[22] In 2022, the two division champions met in a single game to determine a league champion.^[23]

In further postseason play, the IL champion meets thePacific Coast League's champion in theTriple-A National Championship Game, a single game to determine an overall champion of Triple-A baseball, which has been held annually since 2006, excluding 2020 and 2021. Previously, the IL champion also competed in theTriple-A World Series (1983, 1998–2000),Junior World Series (1919), and other sporadic postseason competitions throughout the league's history.

Other interleague play occurred during theTriple-A All-Star Game. Traditionally, the game had taken place on the day after the mid-summerMajor League Baseball All-Star Game.^[24] The game was meant to mark a symbolic halfway-point in the season (though not the mathematical halfway-point which, for most seasons, is usually one month prior). During the All-Star break, no regular-season games were scheduled for two days before the All-Star Game itself.^[25]

These teams were either charter members of the IL in 1912 or were added as expansion teams thereafter.^[11]

• Arkansas Travelers (1963)
• Baltimore Orioles (1912–1914) →Richmond Climbers (1915–1916) →Richmond Virginians (1917)
• Binghamton Bingoes (1918–1919) →Syracuse Stars (1920–1927) →Montreal Royals (1928–1960) →Syracuse Chiefs (1961–1996) →Syracuse SkyChiefs (1997–2006) →Syracuse Chiefs (2007–2018) →Syracuse Mets (2019–present)
• Buffalo Bisons (1912–1970) →Winnipeg Whips (1970–1971) →Peninsula Whips (1972–1973) →Memphis Blues (1974–1976) →Charleston Charlies (1977–1983) →Maine Guides (1984–1987) →Maine Phillies (1988) →Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (1989–2006) →Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (2007–2012) →Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (2013–present)
• Charlotte Knights (1993–present)
• Durham Bulls (1998–present)
• Jersey City Skeeters (1912–1915) →Baltimore Orioles (1916–1953) →Richmond Virginians (1954–1964) →Toledo Mud Hens (1965–present)
• Jersey City Skeeters (1918–1933) →Syracuse Chiefs (1934–1955) →Miami Marlins (1956–1960) →San Juan Marlins (1961) →Charleston Marlins (1961) →Atlanta Crackers (1962–1965) →Richmond Braves (1966–2008) →Gwinnett Braves (2009–2017) →Gwinnett Stripers (2018–present)
• Montreal Royals (1912–1917)
• Newark Indians (1912–1915) →Harrisburg Senators (1915) →Newark Indians (1916) →Newark Bears (1917–1919) →Akron Buckeyes (1920) →Newark Bears (1921–1925) →Providence Grays (1925) →Newark Bears (1925–1949) →Springfield Cubs (1950–1953) →Havana Sugar Kings (1954–1960) →Jersey City Jerseys (1960–1961) →Jacksonville Suns (1962–1968) →Tidewater Tides (1969–1992) →Norfolk Tides (1993–present)
• Ottawa Lynx (1993–2007) →Lehigh Valley IronPigs (2008–present)
• Providence Grays (1912–1917)
• Rochester Hustlers (1912–1920) →Rochester Colts (1921) →Rochester Tribe (1922–1927) →Rochester Red Wings (1928–present)
• Syracuse Stars (1918) →Hamilton Tigers (1918) →Reading Coal Barons (1919) →Reading Marines (1920) →Reading Aces (1921–1922) →Reading Keystones (1923–1932) →Albany Senators (1932–1936) →Jersey City Giants (1937–1950) →Ottawa Giants (1951) →Ottawa Athletics (1952–1954) →Columbus Jets (1955–1970) →Charleston Charlies (1971–1976) →Columbus Clippers (1977–present)
• Toronto Maple Leafs (1912–1967) →Louisville Colonels (1968–1972) →Pawtucket Red Sox (1973–1975) →Rhode Island Red Sox (1976) →Pawtucket Red Sox (1977–2020) →Worcester Red Sox (2021–present)

Three current teams joined the IL in 1998 from theAmerican Association, which disbanded after the 1997 season.^[26] Indianapolis had previously played in the IL in 1963.^[11]

• Buffalo Bisons (1979–present)
• Indianapolis Indians (1902–present)
• Louisville Redbirds (1982–1998) →Louisville RiverBats (1999–2001) →Louisville Bats (2002–present)

Four current teams were placed in the IL from the Triple-APacific Coast League in 2021.^[12]

• Iowa Oaks (1969–1981) →Iowa Cubs (1982–present)
• Memphis Redbirds (1998–present)
• Nashville Sounds (1978–present)
• Omaha Royals (1969–1998) → Omaha Golden Spikes (1999–2001) → Omaha Royals (2002–2010) →Omaha Storm Chasers (2011–present)

One current team was placed in the IL from theDouble-ASouthern League in 2021.^[13]

• Jacksonville Suns (1962–1968, 1970–1984) → Jacksonville Expos (1985–1990) → Jacksonville Suns (1991–2016) →Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (2017–present)

One current team was placed in the IL from the independentAmerican Association of Professional Baseball in 2021.^[14]

• St. Paul Saints (1993–present)

The International League has crowned a league champion each season since 1884. Through 1932, champions were the regular-seasonpennant winners—the team with the bestwin–loss record at the conclusion of the regular season. From 1933 to 2020, postseasonplayoffs were held to determine champions. Participants from 1933 to 1987 were usually the four teams with the highestwinning percentage. From 1988 to 2020, the four qualifiers were the division winners and one or twowild card teams. The winner of each season's championship playoffs was awarded theGovernors' Cup. These playoffs and the Governors' Cup trophy were discontinued in 2021. The 2021 winner was the team with the best regular-season record. The 2022 championship was decided via a single game between the winners of the East and West Divisions. Since 2023, a best-of-three series has been held between the winners of each half of the season.

Active International League teams appear inbold.

The IL recognizes outstanding players and team personnel annually near the end of each season.

TheMost Valuable Player Award, first awarded in 1932, is given to honor the best player in the league.^[27]

ThePitcher of the Year Award, first awarded in 1953 and known as the Most Valuable Pitcher Award, serves to recognize the league's best pitcher. Pitchers were eligible to win the award from 1932 to 1952 as no award was designated solely for pitchers.^[27]

TheTop MLB Prospect Award, created in 1950 as the Rookie of the Year Award, is given to the best player with no prior IL experience.^[27]

TheManager of the Year Award, started in 1967, is given to the league's top manager.^[27]

The Executive of the Year Award, first awarded in 1964, honored team executives who contributed to the success of the league.^[27]

The Spirit of the International League Award, first awarded in 2010, honored team executives who exhibited dedication to creating and maintaining positive fan experiences when visiting IL games.^[27][28]

The International League Hall of Fame was established in 1947 to honor league players, managers, and executives who have made significant contributions to the league. The Hall of Fame inducted its first class of nine men in 1947. A plaque was unveiled at the IL's New York City offices located in the Ruppert Building at 535 Fifth Avenue. Today, the plaque has no permanent home, but exists as a traveling display that visits a number of the league's ballparks each season. The Hall became dormant after 1963, but was revived in 2007. New members are elected before the start of each season.^[29]

• List of International League no-hitters
• List of International League stadiums
• List of sports attendance figures
• Harry Simmons

• Official website