2009 International League season

2009 International League Season
League International League
Sport Baseball
Duration April 9  – September 7, 2009
Number of games 143
Number of teams 16
Regular season
Season champions Louisville Bats
Season MVP Shelley Duncan
Governors' Cup
Champions Durham Bulls (3rd)
  Runners-up Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees

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.

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 will be 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 will field a team of its best players to compete against the host Pacific Coast League's best players. The International League will look to even up the All-Star Game series, as the PCL holds a six games to five lead over the IL.

Standings

International League - North Division		 W L Pct. GB
y-Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 81 60 .574 —
Syracuse Chiefs 76 68 .528 6½
Lehigh Valley IronPigs 71 73 .493 11½
Rochester Red Wings 70 74 .486 12½
Pawtucket Red Sox 61 82 .427 21
Buffalo Bisons 56 87 .392 26
International League - South Division		 W L Pct. GB
y-Durham Bulls 83 61 .576 —
x-Gwinnett Braves 81 63 .563 2
Norfolk Tides 71 71 .500 11
Charlotte Knights 67 76 .469 15½
International League - West Division		 W L Pct. GB
y-Louisville Bats 84 58 .592 —
Toledo Mud Hens 73 70 .510 11½
Indianapolis Indians 70 73 .490 14½
Columbus Clippers 57 85 .401 27

y-division champion
x-wild card winner

League leaders

Batting Champions

Stat Player Total
AVG Jordan Brown .336
HR Shelley Duncan 30
RBI Shelley Duncan 99
R Shelley Duncan 85
H Jesus Feliciano 154
SB Drew Stubbs 46

Pitching Champions

Stat Player Total
W Justin Lehr 13
L Charlie Zink 15
ERA Carlos Torres 2.39
SO Carlos Carrasco 148
IP Wade Davis 158.2
SV Luis Valdez 27

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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