Should be a blast: The 2023 Triple-A Championship game returns to Las Vegas, as the playoff winners from the International League and the Pacific Coast League will square off in a winner-takes-all match at Las Vegas Ballpark.
It’s the same format as 2022, when the Triple-A Championship returned after a COVID-19 break. The 2023 Triple-A Championship game set for Las Vegas will follow the best-of-three League Championship Series of the two leagues, crowning an overall winner of the highest level of the Minor Leagues.
Each Triple-A season will be split into two halves, with the first half ending on June 25 and the second half commencing on June 28. The regular season will conclude on Sunday, Sept. 24. The first-half winners will serve as the hosts of the pair of best-of-three LCS, slated to begin on Tuesday, September 26. The winners of the two LCS will advance to Las Vegas Ballpark, which also hosted last season’s Triple-A Triple Championship Weekend, for Saturday’s decisive matchup.
“The Triple-A National Championship Game is a jewel event for so many across the game, and this format will be great for fans,” said Morgan Sword, MLB’s Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations, via press release. “We look forward to celebrating the conclusion of the 2023 Minor League season at one of the top ballparks in the sport.”
“We’re very pleased to host the Triple-A Championship Game here at Las Vegas Ballpark and crowning a champion in a venue made for events of this magnitude,” said Aviators President & Chief Operations Officer Don Logan via press release. “After last year’s successful Triple-A Championship Weekend, we look forward to hosting the best teams in Triple-A baseball and adding to the growing list of championship events held here in Southern Nevada.”
Since the Triple-A National Championship Game’s inception in 2006, the Pacific Coast League has won nine of the 15 winner-take-all games against the International League. The Durham Bulls had the overall best record among the 30 Triple-A teams in 2021, but a traditional postseason was not scheduled due to COVID-19 restrictions. In 2022, the Bulls won their third national championship in the last 12 games.
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