Triple-A Classic
Over a four-year period, the AA and IL had an interleague partnership called the Triple-A Alliance in which they played an interlocking schedule during the regular-season.
[13][14] On July 9, 1991, at the Triple-A All-Star Game, International League team owners voted, 5–3, to discontinue interleague play with the American Association after the season.
[15] Randy Mobley, alliance commissioner and president of the AA, persuaded the IL to wait until the winter meetings to make a final decision.
[16] However, that September at the Triple-A fall meeting, the IL voted 4–3, with one abstention, to terminate the alliance, while the AA was unanimous in wishing to continue.
[16] A combination of poor attendance, travel costs, and difficulty in drawing up season schedules were all factors in their decision to end the partnership.
[20] The Rochester Red Wings won the IL championship and a series berth by defeating the Tidewater Tides, 3–1.
The Indians led 2–0 until the bottom of the eighth inning, when the Red Wings' Ken Landreaux tied the game with a two-run home run.
The Indians broke a 4–4 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning when Mark Bailey drove in Alonzo Powell for the decisive run.
[28] The Indianapolis Indians qualified for the 1989 Triple-A Classic, their second appearance in the series, by winning the AA championship versus the Omaha Royals, 3–2.
[36] The first three games were to be held at Indianapolis' Owen J. Bush Stadium before the remainder of the series shifted to The Diamond in Richmond.
[40] In Game Four, Indianapolis scored five runs in the fifth inning to erase a 3–0 Braves lead on the way to a 7–4 win, a four-game sweep, and their second Triple-A Classic title.
[41] The Omaha Royals secured a spot in the 1990 Triple-A Classic by winning the AA championship over the Nashville Sounds, 3–2.
[47] Carrying a 4–3 lead into the ninth inning of Game Two, it looked like the Red Wings would make it two wins in a row until the Royals rallied for four runs on the way to a 7–4 victory.
[57] The Columbus Clippers secured their spot by sweeping the Pawtucket Red Sox, 3–0, to win the IL championship.
[62] Played the next night, Columbus won Game Four, 10–1, with the crucial runs being scored in the first inning on a ground rule double by John Ramos and a groundout by Torey Lovullo.
[63] In an extra-innings Game Five, Denver's William Suero reached second base on a two-base error, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jim Olander, and scored what would be the winning run on a ground out by Carmen Castillo in the top of the 11th.
[64] Zephyrs starter Mark Kiefer, who earned the win in Game One and stuck out 10 batters over eight innings, was named the series MVP.
