The 1961 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 17 and September 22. Eight teams played a 154-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
| 1961 International League season | |
|---|---|
| League | International League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 17 – September 22 |
| Number of games | 154 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Ted Savage, Buffalo Bisons |
| Governors' Cup Playoffs | |
| League champions | Buffalo Bisons |
| Runners-up | Rochester Red Wings |
The Buffalo Bisons won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Rochester Red Wings in the final round of the playoffs.
Team changes
edit- The Rochester Red Wings ended their affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals and began an affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles.
- The Montreal Royals relocated to Syracuse, New York and were renamed the Syracuse Chiefs. The club also ended their affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers and began an affiliation with the Minnesota Twins.
- The Miami Marlins relocated to San Juan, Puerto Rico and were renamed the San Juan Marlins. The club also ended their affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles and began an affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Marlins would eventually relocate once again during the season to Charleston, West Virginia and be renamed the Charleston Marlins.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their affiliation with the Cleveland Indians.
Teams
editMap of teams
edit
Regular season
editSummary
edit- The Columbus Jets finished with the best record in the league for the first time in franchise history.
- On May 19, The San Juan Marlins relocated to Charleston, West Virginia and became the Charleston Marlins.[1]
- On September 11, the Rochester Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs held a one-game playoff for the final playoff position. The Red Wings defeated the Maple Leafs 12-11 in ten innings to clinch the final post-season berth.[2]
Standings
edit| International League | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Columbus Jets | 92 | 62 | .597 | – |
| San Juan Marlins/Charleston Marlins | 88 | 66 | .571 | 4 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 85 | 67 | .559 | 6 |
| Rochester Red Wings | 77 | 78 | .497 | 15.5 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 76 | 79 | .490 | 16.5 |
| Richmond Virginians | 71 | 83 | .461 | 21 |
| Jersey City Jerseys | 70 | 82 | .461 | 21 |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 56 | 98 | .364 | 36 |
League Leaders
editBatting leaders
edit| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Ted Savage, Buffalo Bisons | .325 |
| H | Ted Savage, Buffalo Bisons | 178 |
| R | Ted Savage, Buffalo Bisons | 111 |
| 2B | Jim Pendleton, Jersey City Jerseys | 33 |
| 3B | Lou Jackson, Toronto Maple Leafs | 18 |
| HR | Boog Powell, Rochester Red Wings | 32 |
| RBI | Félix Torres, Buffalo Bisons | 97 |
| SB | Ted Savage, Buffalo Bisons | 31 |
Pitching leaders
edit| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Ray Washburn, San Juan / Charleston | 16 |
| L | Fred Kipp, Richmond Virginians | 16 |
| ERA | Ray Washburn, San Juan / Charleston | 2.34 |
| CG | Al Jackson, Columbus Jets Dave Stenhouse, Jersey City Jerseys Ray Washburn, San Juan / Charleston |
12 |
| SHO | Herb Moford, Rochester Red Wings | 5 |
| SO | Bob Veale, Columbus Jets | 208 |
| IP | Herb Moford, Rochester Red Wings | 219.0 |
Playoffs
edit- The Buffalo Bisons won their fourth Governors' Cup, defeating the Rochester Red Wings in five games.
Playoff bracket
edit| Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | ||||||||
| 1 | Columbus | 1 | |||||||
| 4 | Rochester | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | Rochester | 1 | |||||||
| 3 | Buffalo | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | Charleston | 0 | |||||||
| 3 | Buffalo | 4 | |||||||
Awards
edit| Player awards | |
|---|---|
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Ted Savage, Buffalo Bisons[6] |
| Pitcher of the Year | Diomedes Olivo, Columbus Jets[7] |
| Rookie of the Year | Tom Tresh, Richmond Virginians[8] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Maun, Tyler. "San Juan Marlins burned brightly, briefly in Minors". MILB. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "1961 International League season". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ 1961 IL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed November 16, 2024
- ^ 1961 IL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed November 16 ,2024
- ^ 1961 IL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed November 16, 2024
- ^ "Ted Savage Minor League Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "Diomedes Olivo Minor League Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "Tom Tresh Minor League Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 16 November 2024.