The International League (IL) is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States and Canada (and for several years in the 1950s in Cuba as well). However, since the relocation of the Ottawa Lynx to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to become the Lehigh Valley IronPigs for the 2008 season, all of the league's teams are now based in the U.S.

The International League was created from the mergers of member teams from three precursor leagues: the Eastern League, founded in 1884; the New York State League, formed in 1885; and the Ontario League, also organized in 1885. The New York State and Ontario leagues merged in 1886 to form the International League, and in 1887 the Eastern League was absorbed to create a 10-club league.

The league collapsed soon afterwards, when the Northern teams claimed that it was too onerous to travel to the South and formed the International Association. Teams and league names came and went over the years. In 1954, a franchise was awarded to Havana, Cuba, but due to political upheaval in that country it had to be moved — to Jersey City, New Jersey — in the middle of the 1960 season. Another foray into the Caribbean failed when the newly created team in San Juan, Puerto Rico, added in 1961, had to be moved to Charleston, West Virginia, in mid-season.

Joshua Joel Rodriguez (born December 18, 1984 in Houston, Texas) is an American professional baseball infielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.

Rodriguez attended Rice University. There, he played college baseball for the Rice Owls baseball team in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. He was named WAC Freshman of the Year in 2004 and the Third Team NCAA Division I All-American third baseman in 2006.

Rodriguez was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the second round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. Rodriguez played for the Class AA Akron Aeros of the Eastern League (EL) in 2008, 2009, and the first part of 2010. On May 18, 2010, Rodriguez was promoted to the Class AAA Columbus Clippers of the International League (IL). He hit .293 in 86 games.

In December 2010, the Pirates selected Rodriguez with the first overall pick of the 2010 Rule 5 draft. Under the rules regarding Rule 5 players, Rodriguez had to stay on the team's major league roster for the entire 2011 season, or be offered back to the Indians.