Bricktown Showdown
Encyclopedia
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
(IL) and Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
(PCL) Triple-A leagues of minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
to determine an overall champion of class Triple-A baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. From 2006 to 2010, it was held annually at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark
AT&T Bricktown Ballpark
RedHawks Field at Bricktown opened in 1998 in downtown Oklahoma City's Bricktown district, replacing All Sports Stadium. It is the home of the Oklahoma City RedHawks, the AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros major league baseball team. The park seats 13,066 fans.The stadium frequently hosts the Big...
, home of the Oklahoma City RedHawks, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
. From 2011, the game will be hosted by a different Triple-A city each year.
History
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
.
This championship game was the first time since the Las Vegas Triple-A World Series
Triple-A World Series
The Triple-A World Series is an infrequently held contest featuring the champions of each Triple-A level minor league of Major League Baseball, with the intent of crowning an overall champion of Triple-A Baseball....
(1998–2000) that the IL and PCL would meet to determine a Triple-A champion. A previous World Series was also held in 1983 and also included the now defunct American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
(AA). Prior to this, the IL and AA (excluding the PCL) held a series of championships between the two leagues, called the Triple-A Classic (1988–1991) and also the Little World Series or Junior World Series
Junior World Series
The Junior World Series was the name given to a postseason series between champions of two of the three high-minor baseball leagues, modeled on the World Series of Major League Baseball...
(1905–1975).
The goal was for the Bricktown Showdown to develop and prosper like the Triple-A All-Star Game
Triple-A All-Star Game
The Triple-A All-Star Game is a single baseball game held between the two Triple-A leagues in minor league baseball—the International League and the Pacific Coast League...
did since its inception in 1987. The Showdown was only approved as a one-time meeting by Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Following the inaugural event's success, subsequent meetings were planned for 2007 and 2008.
In August 2009, the game was rebranded as the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game. This was done in part to increase the event's national appeal.
Beginning with the 2011 contest, the game will be held in a different Triple-A city each year. The first city to host in this new format will be Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, home of the Albuquerque Isotopes
Albuquerque Isotopes
The Albuquerque Isotopes are a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers...
.
Structure
The championship consists of a single nine-inning game to determine a champion. Which team will serve as the home team is determined by the outcome of the Triple-A All-Star Game; the team from the winning league is designated as the home team.2006
The 2011 game was played on Tuesday, September 20 at 6:05 PM MDT at Isotopes ParkIsotopes Park
Isotopes Park is a minor-league baseball stadium located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is the home field of the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Pacific Coast League, the Class AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers...
in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
(the first Triple-A National Championship not to be played in Oklahoma City). The two-time defending IL champion Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
faced the PCL champion Omaha Storm Chasers. Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
broadcasted the game.
The Columbus Clippers defeated the Omaha Storm Chasers, 8-3, in the Triple-A National Championship Game. Joe Martinez got the win and the MVP honors.