1954 International League season

1954 International League season
League	International League
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 20 – October 2
Number of games	154
Number of teams	8
Regular season
Season MVP	Elston Howard, Toronto Maple Leafs
Governors' Cup Playoffs
League champions	Syracuse Chiefs
Runners-up	Montreal Royals

The 1954 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 20 and October 2. Eight teams played a 154-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.

The Syracuse Chiefs won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Montreal Royals in the final round of the playoffs.

Team changes

• The Baltimore Orioles relocated to Richmond, Virginia and were renamed the Richmond Virginians. The club also ended their affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies.
• The Springfield Cubs fold.
• The Havana Sugar Kings join the league as an expansion team.
• The Syracuse Chiefs ended their affiliation with the New York Yankees and began an affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Teams

1954 International League
Team	City	MLB Affiliate	Stadium
Buffalo Bisons	Buffalo, New York	Detroit Tigers	Offermann Stadium
Havana Sugar Kings	Havana, Cuba	None	Gran Stadium
Montreal Royals	Montreal, Quebec	Brooklyn Dodgers	Delorimier Stadium
Ottawa Athletics	Ottawa, Ontario	Philadelphia Athletics	Lansdowne Park
Richmond Virginians	Richmond, Virginia	None	Parker Field
Rochester Red Wings	Rochester, New York	St. Louis Cardinals	Red Wing Stadium
Syracuse Chiefs	Syracuse, New York	Philadelphia Phillies	MacArthur Stadium
Toronto Maple Leafs	Toronto, Ontario	None	Maple Leaf Stadium

Map of teams

Buffalo

Havana

Montreal

Ottawa

Richmond

Rochester

Syracuse

Toronto

International League teams

Regular season

Summary

• The Toronto Maple Leafs finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time since 1943.
• The Syracuse Chiefs and Havana Sugar Kings played a one-game tie-breaking game in Syracuse, New York for the final playoff position. The Chiefs defeated the Sugar Kings 13-4.

Standings

International League
Team	Win	Loss	%	GB
Toronto Maple Leafs	97	57	.630	–
Montreal Royals	88	66	.571	9
Rochester Red Wings	86	68	.558	11
Syracuse Chiefs	79	76	.510	18.5
Havana Sugar Kings	78	77	.503	19.5
Buffalo Bisons	71	83	.461	26
Richmond Virginians	60	94	.390	37
Ottawa Athletics	58	96	.377	39

League Leaders

Batting leaders

Stat	Player	Total
AVG	Bill Virdon, Rochester Red Wings	.333
H	Sam Jethroe, Toronto Maple Leafs	181
R	Sam Jethroe, Toronto Maple Leafs	113
2B	Chico Fernández, Montreal Royals	44
3B	Elston Howard, Toronto Maple Leafs	16
HR	Rocky Nelson, Montreal Royals	31
RBI	Ed Stevens, Toronto Maple Leafs	113
SB	Don Nicholas, Havana Sugar Kings	37

Pitching leaders

Stat	Player	Total
W	Jack Faszholz, Rochester Red Wings Ken Lehman, Montreal Royals Ed Roebuck, Montreal Royals	18
ERA	Jim Owens, Syracuse Chiefs	2.87
CG	Ed Roebuck, Montreal Royals	20
SHO	Ken Johnson, Buffalo Bisons Jim Owens, Syracuse Chiefs Ed Roebuck, Montreal Royals	5
SO	Jack Meyer, Syracuse Chiefs	173
IP	Jack Faszholz, Rochester Red Wings	225.0

Playoffs

• The Syracuse Chiefs won their fifth Governors' Cup, defeating the Montreal Royals in seven games.

Playoff bracket

	Semi-finals					Governors' Cup
	1	Toronto	2
	4	Syracuse	4
						4	Syracuse	4
						2	Montreal	3
	2	Montreal	4
	3	Rochester	2

Awards

Player awards
Award name	Recipient
Most Valuable Player	Elston Howard, Toronto Maple Leafs
Pitcher of the Year	Jim Owens, Syracuse Chiefs
Rookie of the Year	Jim Owens, Syracuse Chiefs

See also

• 1954 Major League Baseball season

External links

• Minor League Baseball official website