List of International League champions

League champions have been determined by different means since the International League's formation in 1884. Champions from 1884 to 1932 were simply the regular season pennant winners. Frank Shaughnessy, general manager of the IL's Montreal Royals, was interested in developing a way for multiple clubs to share in the excitement of postseason play. His new playoff format, devised to maintain the interest of fans and players alike during the Depression era, provided an opportunity for four teams to compete for the league's championship. In 1933, he introduced his plan to league president Charles H. Knappe, and the Governors' Cup was born. Several other leagues, including the Pacific Coast League, noticed the success of the "Shaughnessy Plan" and began using the system as well.[1]

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 original trophy, designed by the supervisor of the league's umpires and silversmith W. B. Carpenter, was created out of solid silver and has been appraised at over $3,000.[1] In 1988, IL 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.[1]

Typically, from 1933 to 1987, the four teams with the best records at the end of the season competed in semi-finals and then a final best-of-seven series for the championship. For the few years in which the league was split into two divisions, the top two teams in each division competed against one another, with the winners competing to determine a champion. The championship series was shortened to a best-of-five series in some years. The league also competed in two divisions from 1988 to 1997.

From 1998 to 2019, the league was split into three divisions. Under this format, the three division winners and a wild card team (the team with the best second-place record in the league) were determined at the end of the season. The North Division champion played the wild card team, while the champions of the South and West Divisions played one another in best-of-five series. The winners then played each other in the best-of-five Governors' Cup Playoffs to determine the champion.[2]

The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[3] and the league ceased operations before the 2021 season in conjunction with Major League Baseball's (MLB) reorganization of Minor League Baseball.[4] In place of the International League, MLB created the Triple-A East, a 20-team circuit divided into three divisions.[5] Prior to the 2022 season, MLB renamed the Triple-A East as the International League, and it carried on the history of the IL prior to reorganization.[6] Rather than hold playoffs for its championship, the Triple-A East's 2021 title was awarded to the team with the best regular-season record.[7]

Scores and additional teams are absent from 1884 to 1932 when pennant winners were declared champions.

The 1888 champion Syracuse Stars

The 1902 champion Toronto Maple Leafs

The 1903 champion Jersey City Skeeters

The 1914 champion Providence Grays

The 1920 champion Baltimore Orioles

The 1948 champion Montreal Royals

The 2016 champion Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Active International League teams appear in bold.

• Triple-A baseball Awards

Specific

General

• "International League Champions". International League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
• "International League Governors' Cup Championship". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
• O'Neal, Bill (1992), The International League: A Baseball History 1884–1991, Eakin Press, ISBN 9780890158562
• Wright, Marshall (2005), The International League: Year-by-Year Statistics 1884–1953, McFarland, ISBN 9780786404582