Congratulations, Rochester Red Wings, Your 2026 International League Champions!

After nearly three decades of waiting, the Governors’ Cup is coming home to Rochester. The Red Wings beat the Memphis Redbirds in Game 3 of the International League Championship Series to capture the IL title for the first time since 1997.

This team never made it easy, and that’s exactly what made it special. Rochester took Game 1 by a 4-3 score, got blown out 15-4 in Game 2, and then answered with a 3-2 win in the winner-take-all finale. In the clincher, Riley Adams opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first, Memphis went ahead 2-1 in the seventh, and then Rochester fought back in the eighth on an Andrew Pinckney RBI double and a go-ahead RBI single from Cortland Lawson, who had come off the bench earlier in the game. It took eight pitchers to close it out, a true team effort from start to finish.

The championship capped a remarkable season. Rochester won 90 games during the regular season, the most in the Minors, a stunning turnaround for a club that finished 59-88 just a year earlier. Manager Matt LeCroy summed up the spirit of this group best, calling them the “never say die” Wings after the final out.

The win adds another banner to a proud history: Rochester already held more International League titles than any other franchise, and now there’s one more to celebrate.

Congratulations to LeCroy, the coaching staff, the players, the front office, and every fan who packed Innovative Field this summer. And best of luck in the next chapter: the Red Wings take on the Pacific Coast League champion in Saturday’s Triple-A National Championship Game at Las Vegas Ballpark.

Go Wings!