Thruway Cup


The Thruway Cup is an annual competition between Minor League Baseball's Buffalo Bisons, Rochester Red Wings, and Syracuse Mets of the Triple-A International League which began in 1998. The Cup standings are compiled from the games the teams play against each other through the course of the regular season. The team at the top of the standings at the end of the season is crowned the Thruway Cup champion and wins the Thruway Cup trophy. Unique to this competition, it was agreed that any team winning the trophy three times would get to "retire" the cup and keep it as their own. As of the end of the 2019 season, Rochester has won ten times, Buffalo eight times, and Syracuse four times.
The I-90 Thruway Series is the name given to all the games played between the Bisons, Red Wings, and Mets. The series became official when the Bisons joined the International League in 1998 after moving from the Triple-A American Association. All teams are located in cities along the New York State toll road. Syracuse and Buffalo, which are at the furthest ends are about 150 minutes' driving time from each other, while the other cities are within 90 minutes of each other.
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 ; it was nevertheless not included in the Thruway Cup.
In 2017, the Rochester Red Wings earned the right to keep their retired Thruway Cup trophy, making it the first time a team retired a Cup bearing no other team's name.

Winners

†Team won their third Series and is allowed to keep the Thruway Cup

2009

x - Clinched the 2009 Thruway Cup
;Rochester won head to head series with Syracuse nine games to seven

2010

x - Clinched the 2010 Thruway Cup
On August 30, the Chiefs beat the Bisons 4-1 in 10 innings to claim their second Thruway Cup and first since 1999.

2011

x- Clinched the 2011 Thruway Cup

2012

TeamWLPct.GB
x Buffalo Bisons1913.594---
Syracuse Chiefs1715.5312.0
Rochester Red Wings1220.3757.0

x- Clinched the 2012 Thruway Cup

2013

TeamWLPct.GB
x Buffalo Bisons1812.613---
Rochester Red Wings1516.4844.0
Syracuse Chiefs1317.4335.0

x- Clinched the 2013 Thruway Cup
On August 29, the Bisons defeated the Rochester Red Wings, 3-2 to clinch the 2013 Thruway Cup.

2014

x- Clinched the 2014 Thruway Cup
On August 31, 2014, the Syracuse Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bisons, 4-3 to clinch the 2014 Thruway Cup, and claim their fourth Thruway Cup series and first trophy.

2015

x- Clinched the 2015 Thruway Cup

2016

x- Clinched the 2016 Thruway Cup

2017

x- Clinched the 2017 Thruway Cup Series and retired the Thruway Cup.

2018

x - Clinched the 2018 Thruway Cup

2019

x - Clinched the 2019 Thruway Cup