Sport Baseball Editions 84 | First award 1933 First winner Buffalo Bisons | |
 | ||
Given for Winning the International League championship Most wins Columbus Clippers, Rochester Red Wings : 10 times | ||
The Governors' Cup is the trophy awarded each year to the champion of the International League, one of the two current Triple-A level minor leagues of Major League Baseball.
Contents
History
In 1933, Frank Shaughnessy, General Manager of the League's Montreal Royals, introduced a new playoff system to International League President Charles H. Knappe and the Governors' Cup was born. Shaughnessy, who would ultimately serve as International League President from 1936 until 1960, was interested in developing a way for more than two clubs to share in the excitement of post-season play. His playoff format, devised to maintain the interest of fans and players alike during the Depression era, provided an opportunity for four teams to participate rather than only two. Several other leagues, including the Pacific Coast League, noticed the success of the "Shaughnessy Plan" and followed suit.
In response to the new playoff format, the Governors of Maryland, New Jersey, and New York and the Lieutenant Governors of the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario sponsored a trophy to be awarded annually to the winner of the International League playoffs. The trophy, designed by the Supervisor of International League Umpires and silversmith W. B. Carpenter, was created out of solid silver and has been appraised at over $3,000.
In 1988, International League President Harold Cooper donated the trophy to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, where it is on permanent display. A new trophy of the same name was minted in its place and is presented annually to the winner of the Governors' Cup Championship Series.
The replica trophy was smashed while in possession of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees by an attendee of a game from northeastern Pennsylvania on August 27, 2009.
Championships
Ten
Eight
Seven
Six
Five
Four
Three
Two
One
Note: Italics indicate franchises no longer in the International League.
Champions year-by-year
For the 1900-1932 champions, see List of International League champions.
(*) - Also Pennant Winner
(x) - A one-game playoff as a result of the series being cancelled September 12, 2001. Louisville, which had won Game 1, 2-1, of the five-game series on September 10, was declared the winner.
After 10 seasons in a two division format, the International League switched to a three division alignment in 1998. The practice of recognizing the League Champion as not only the Pennant Winner, but also the Governors’ Cup Winner will continue.
Playoff format
The Governors' Cup Playoffs format is separated into two best-of-five series. With the three division format, all three division winners, and a Wild Card team (the team with the best second place record in the International League) will enter into the "Division Series".
The North Division Champion will play the Wild Card team, while the South Champion plays the West Champion. The winners of these series will move on to the Governors' Cup Championship Series. The team who wins the best-of-five Championship Series will be named Governors' Cup Champions for the year.