Introduction
The International League is a minor baseball league that began operation in north eastern United States and Canada during the late 19th century. The league that is the subject of this page was formed in 1885 (141 years ago).
The International League is considered one of the the first “minor leagues” as it had an agreement with the National League and American Association to honor player suspensions and reserve clauses. The agreement expected each team to respect the reserve lists of clubs in each league. Teams in the NL and the AA could only reserve players who had been paid at least $1,000. International League teams could reserve players paid $750, implicitly establishing the division into major and minor leagues. Over the next two decades, more minor leagues signed various versions of the National Agreement. Eventually, the minor leagues allied to negotiate jointly.
The International League got its start as the New York State League, which was formed in 1885. The New York State League and the Ontario League merged in 1886 to form the International League, and in 1887 it absorbed teams from the Eastern League to create a ten-club league. The league collapsed soon afterwards, when the Canadian teams claimed that it was too onerous to travel to the south and then formed the International Association in 1888. The International League was the first professional league that was international in team roster when it included teams from Canada for the first time, leading to that nation’s first ever professional teams!
The league is reported to cite 1884 as the year of its foundation with the Eastern League. Yet the Eastern League (1884) nor its Inter-State Association (1883) predecessor contributed any teams or cities to the International League when it was known as the New York State League in 1885. Minor-Leagues.com does not consider those leagues to be related and considers the 1885 season to be the beginning.
Classification
Other Names
During its existence, the International League has also been known as:
- 1885: New York State League (NYSL)
- 1886–1887: International League (IL)
- 1888–1890: International Association (IA)
- 1891: Eastern Association (EA)
- 1892–1911: Eastern League (EL)
- 1912–present: International League (IL)
Seasons Summary
| Year | Champion | # of Teams |
| 1885 (NYSL) | Syracuse Stars | 7 |
| 1886 (IL) | Utica Pent-Ups | 8 |
| 1887 (IL) | Toronto Canucks | 11 |
| 1888 (IA) | Syracuse Stars | 8 |
| 1889 (IA) | Detroit Wolverines | 8 |
| 1890 (EA) * | No champion | 6 |
| 1891 (EL) | Buffalo Bisons | 8 |
| 1892 (EL) | Binghamton Bingos | 10 |
| 1893 (EL) | Erie Blackbirds | 8 |
| 1894 (EL) | Providence Grays | 8 |
| 1895 (EL) | Springfield Maroons | 8 |
| 1896 (EL) | Providence Grays | 8 |
| 1897 (EL) | Toronto Maple Leafs | 8 |
| 1898 (EL) | Montreal Royals | 8 |
| 1899 (EL) | Rochester Bronchos | 8 |
* Season Disruptions tracked is 1 out of 15 Years (league on hiatus; teams joining or disbanding in-season; season or league folding before all games played)
League Championship Summary
# of seasons: 15
List of teams who won championships sorted by number of championships.
| Team | # of League Championships |
| Syracuse Stars | 2 (1885, 1888) |
| Providence Grays | 2 (1894, 1896) |
| Utica Pent-Ups | 1 (1886) |
| Toronto Canucks | 1 (1887) |
| Detroit Wolverines | 1 (1889) |
| Buffalo Bisons | 1 (1892) |
| Springfield Maroons | 1 (1895) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 (1897) |
| Montreal Royals | 1 (1898) |
| Rochester Bronchos | 1 (1899) |
| No champion | 1 (1890) |
Future Features
Last Updated on May 25, 2026 by Al Young