# 1988 International League season

The 1988 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 7 and September 9. Eight teams played a 142-game schedule, with the top teams in each division qualifying for the Governors' Cup.
The Rochester Red Wings won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Tidewater Tides in the final round of the playoffs.

## League changes

* The league split into two four-team divisions, the East Division and the West Division. The top team in each division will meet for the Governors' Cup.
* This was the first year of the Triple-A Alliance in which the International League and American Association played 40 interleague games per team.

## Team changes

* The Maine Guides were renamed the Maine Phillies. They continued their affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies.
* The Toledo Mud Hens ended their affiliation with the Minnesota Twins and began a new affiliation with the Detroit Tigers.

## Teams

1988 International League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East |
| East | Maine Phillies | Old Orchard Beach, Maine | Philadelphia Phillies | The Ball Park |
| East | Pawtucket Red Sox | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | Boston Red Sox | McCoy Stadium |
| East | Richmond Braves | Richmond, Virginia | Atlanta Braves | The Diamond |
| East | Tidewater Tides | Norfolk, Virginia | New York Mets | Met Park |
| West |
| West | Columbus Clippers | Columbus, Ohio | New York Yankees | Cooper Stadium |
| West | Rochester Red Wings | Rochester, New York | Baltimore Orioles | Silver Stadium |
| West | Syracuse Chiefs | Syracuse, New York | Toronto Blue Jays | MacArthur Stadium |
| West | Toledo Mud Hens | Toledo, Ohio | Detroit Tigers | Ned Skeldon Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The regular season scheduled was extended from 140-games to 142-games.
* The Tidewater Tides and Rochester Red Wings tied for the best record in the league, with each team winning their division.
* On June 27, John Mitchell of the Tidewater Tides pitched a seven-inning perfect game against the Indianapolis Indians.
* On July 28, Marvin Freeman of the Maine Phillies pitched a seven-inning no hitter against the Richmond Braves.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Tidewater Tides | 77 | 64 | .546 | – |
| Richmond Braves | 66 | 75 | .468 | 11 |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | 63 | 79 | .444 | 14.5 |
| Maine Phillies | 62 | 80 | .437 | 15.5 |
| West Division |||||
| Rochester Red Wings | 77 | 64 | .546 | – |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 70 | 71 | .496 | 7 |
| Columbus Clippers | 65 | 77 | .458 | 12.5 |
| Toledo Mud Hens | 58 | 84 | .408 | 19.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Steve Finley, Rochester Red Wings | .314 |
| H | Steve Finley, Rochester Red Wings | 143 |
| R | Tom Barrett, Maine Phillies Jeff Wetherby, Richmond Braves Eric Yelding, Syracuse Chiefs | 69 |
| 2B | Gerónimo Berroa, Syracuse Chiefs Dana Williams, Pawtucket Red Sox | 29 |
| 3B | Kevin Ward, Maine Phillies | 9 |
| HR | Alan Griffin, Richmond Braves | 21 |
| RBI | Ron Jones, Maine Phillies | 75 |
| SB | Eric Yelding, Syracuse Chiefs | 59 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Scott Nielsen, Columbus Clippers Steve Searcy, Toledo Mud Hens | 13 |
| ERA | David West, Tidewater Tides | 1.80 |
| CG | Bob Milacki, Rochester Red Wings | 11 |
| SV | Joe Boever, Richmond Braves | 22 |
| SO | Steve Searcy, Toledo Mud Hens | 176 |
| IP | John Mitchell, Tidewater Tides | 190.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Rochester Red Wings won their eighth Governors' Cup, defeating the Tidewater Tides in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| E1 | Tidewater | 1 |
| W1 | Rochester | 3 |

## Awards

International League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Craig Worthington, Rochester Red Wings |
| Pitcher of the Year | Steve Searcy, Toledo Mud Hens |
| Rookie of the Year | Steve Finley, Rochester Red Wings |
| Manager of the Year | Johnny Oates, Rochester Red Wings |

## All-star team

International League all-star team :
| Position | All-star |
| Catcher | Bob Geren, Columbus Clippers |
| First base | Alan Griffin, Richmond Braves |
| Second base | Tom Barrett, Maine Phillies |
| Shortstop | Randy Velarde, Columbus Clippers |
| Third base | Craig Worthington, Rochester Red Wings |
| Outfield | Mark Carreon, Tidewater Tides Steve Finley, Rochester Red Wings Carlos Quintana, Pawtucket Red Sox |
| Designated hitter | Lonnie Smith, Richmond Braves |
| Starting pitcher | Steve Searcy, Toledo Mud Hens |
| Relief pitcher | Mark Huismann, Toledo Mud Hens |