The series became official when the Bisons joined the International League in 1998 after moving from the Triple-A American Association.

During the 2012 season, an additional IL team made its home along the Thruway, the Empire State Yankees.

The Yankees had no home ballpark, so they played their home games at the stadiums of Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, and the Batavia Muckdogs (formerly a Class A Short Season team located between Buffalo and Rochester); it was nevertheless not included in the Thruway Cup.

The Bisons' parent club, the Toronto Blue Jays, used Sahlen Field in Buffalo since the 2020 MLB season due to border restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This marked the first time in the history of the rivalry where one of the three teams did not play at its home ballpark along the I-90 Thruway.