Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game | |
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Logo for the 2017 championship
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Frequency | Annual |
Location(s) | Varies (see prose) |
Inaugurated | September 19, 2006 (AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States) |
Most recent | September 20, 2016 (AutoZone Park, Memphis, Tennessee, United States) |
Previous event | September 22, 2015 (Southwest University Park, El Paso, Texas, United States) |
Next event | September 19, 2017 (PNC Field, Moosic, Pennsylvania, United States) |
Participants | The league champions of the International League and Pacific Coast League |
Organized by | Triple-A Baseball |
Website | |
Official website |
The Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game, previously known as the Bricktown Showdown, is a single championship game held annually between the league champions of the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League (PCL) Triple-A leagues of minor league baseball to determine an overall champion of class Triple-A baseball. 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.
From 2006 to 2010, it was held annually at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, home of the PCL's Oklahoma City RedHawks, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since 2011, the game has been hosted in a different Triple-A city each year.
On July 12, 2006, a press release was issued announcing the creation of a single championship game between the league champions of the Triple-A International League and the Pacific Coast League to determine an overall champion of Triple-A baseball. The goal was for the Bricktown Showdown to develop and prosper like the Triple-A All-Star Game did since its creation in 1987. The initial Showdown was approved only as a one-time meeting by Major League Baseball.
This championship game was the first time since the Las Vegas Triple-A World Series (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 (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 (1905–1975).