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.[1] 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 Chiefs - 420,488
- Toledo Mud Hens - 311,652
Standings
| 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 on 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.