1998 International League season

The 1998 International League season took place from April to September 1998. The Buffalo Bisons defeated the Durham Bulls to win the league championship. Triple-A realignment and expansion Four new teams joined the International League in 1998. Three of these teams, the Buffalo Bisons, Indianapolis Indians, and the Louisville Redbirds joined as a result of the dissolution of the American Association. All three cities had previously competed in the IL at some point in time. One team, the Durham Bulls became a Triple-A expansion team. The Bulls were previously a Class A baseball team.https://www.milb.com/international/news/triple-a-still-thriving-after-1998-realignment/c-166827450 Triple-A still thriving after 1998 realignment As a result of these moves, the IL expanded from 10 teams to 14 teams. A new division, the IL South, was also formed. The playoffs would be determined by the three division winners and one wild card winner. This would be the playoff format for the league until after the 2019 season. Attendance Buffalo Bisons - 768,749 Charlotte Knights - 299,664 Columbus Clippers - 488,674 Durham Bulls - 491,391 Indianapolis Indians - 659,237 Louisville Bats - 412,398 Norfolk Tides - 479,222 Ottawa Lynx - 224,371 Pawtucket Red Sox - 475,659 Richmond Braves - 528,230 Rochester Red Wings - 515,436 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons - 406,735 Syracuse SkyChiefs - 420,488 Toledo Mud Hens - 311,652 Standings Source:1998 International League https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?&id=d620a5e9 2025-01-20 Baseball-Reference.com en International League - North Division Team Win Loss % GB Buffalo Bisons 81 62 .566 – Syracuse SkyChiefs 80 62 .563 ½ Pawtucket Red Sox 77 64 .546 3 Rochester Red Wings 70 74 .486 11.5 Ottawa Lynx 69 74 .483 12 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons 67 75 .472 13.5 International League - South Division Team Win Loss % GB Durham Bulls 80 64 .556 – Norfolk Tides 70 72 .493 9 Charlotte Knights 70 73 .490 9.5 Richmond Braves 64 80 .444 16 International League - West Division Team Win Loss % GB Louisville Redbirds 77 67 .535 – Indianapolis Indians 76 67 .531 ½ Columbus Clippers 67 77 .465 10 Toledo Mud Hens 52 89 .369 23.5 Playoffs Division Series North Division Champion (Buffalo 81–62) defeated Wild Card Champion (Syracuse 80–62) 3 games to 2 South Division Champion (Durham 80–64) defeated West Division Champion (Louisville 77–67) 3 games to 1 Championship series Buffalo defeated Durham 3 games to 2 Buffalo advanced to the first Triple-A World Series in Las Vegas, Nevada. The World Series pitted the International League Champions (Buffalo) against the Pacific Coast League Champions (New Orleans). The New Orleans Zephyrs won the Series three games to one. References External links International League official website https://web.archive.org/web/20060106024809/http://www.ilbaseball.com/ 2006-01-06 Category:International League seasons