1981 International League season

1981 International League season
LeagueInternational League
SportBaseball
DurationApril 10 – September 16
Number of games140
Number of teams8
Regular season
Season MVPBrett Butler, Richmond Braves
Governors' Cup Playoffs
League championsColumbus Clippers
  Runners-upRichmond Braves
IL seasons

The 1981 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 10 and September 16. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.

The Columbus Clippers won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Richmond Braves in the final round of the playoffs.

Team changes

Teams

1981 International League
Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium
Charleston Charlies Charleston, West Virginia Cleveland Indians Watt Powell Park
Columbus Clippers Columbus, Ohio New York Yankees Franklin County Stadium
Pawtucket Red Sox Pawtucket, Rhode Island Boston Red Sox McCoy Stadium
Richmond Braves Richmond, Virginia Atlanta Braves Parker Field
Rochester Red Wings Rochester, New York Baltimore Orioles Silver Stadium
Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse, New York Toronto Blue Jays MacArthur Stadium
Tidewater Tides Norfolk, Virginia New York Mets Met Park
Toledo Mud Hens Toledo, Ohio Minnesota Twins Lucas County Stadium

Map of teams

International League teams

Regular season

Summary

  • The Columbus Clippers finished with the best record in the league for the third consecutive season.

Standings

[1]

International League
Team Win Loss % GB
Columbus Clippers 88 51 .633 –
Richmond Braves 83 56 .597 5
Tidewater Tides 70 68 .507 17.5
Rochester Red Wings 69 70 .496 19
Charleston Charlies 67 72 .482 21
Pawtucket Red Sox 67 73 .479 21.5
Syracuse Chiefs 60 80 .429 28.5
Toledo Mud Hens 53 87 .379 35.5

League Leaders

Batting leaders

[2]

Stat Player Total
AVG Wade Boggs, Pawtucket Red Sox .335
H Wade Boggs, Pawtucket Red Sox 167
R Brett Butler, Richmond Braves 93
2B Wade Boggs, Pawtucket Red Sox 41
3B J.J. Cannon, Syracuse Chiefs 11
HR Steve Balboni, Columbus Clippers 33
RBI Steve Balboni, Columbus Clippers 98
SB Dallas Williams, Rochester Red Wings 51

Pitching leaders

[3]

Stat Player Total
W Ken Dayley, Richmond Braves
Larry McWilliams, Richmond Braves		 13
ERA Bob Ojeda, Pawtucket Red Sox 2.13
CG Tom Brennan, Charleston Charlies
Tom Dixon, Tidewater Tides		 11
SV Dale Murray, Syracuse Chiefs 16
SO Ken Dayley, Richmond Braves 162
IP Ken Dayley, Richmond Braves 200

Playoffs

  • The Columbus Clippers won their third consecutive Governors' Cup, defeating the Richmond Braves in three games.
  • The Clippers became the first team in the league to win three straight Governors' Cups and the first team since the Rochester Red Wings from 1928 to 1931 to win at least three consecutive titles.
  • The final round was shortened to a best-of-three series due to poor weather. There were a total of 10 rainouts during the post-season.

Playoff bracket

Semi-finals Governors' Cup
      
1 Columbus 3
4 Rochester 2
1 Columbus 2
2 Richmond 1
2 Richmond 3
3 Tidewater 2

Awards

International League awards
Award name Recipient
Most Valuable Player Brett Butler, Richmond Braves
Pitcher of the Year Bob Ojeda, Pawtucket Red Sox
Rookie of the Year Cal Ripken Jr., Rochester Red Wings
Manager of the Year Eddie Haas, Richmond Braves

All-star team

International League all-star team
Position All-star
Catcher Chris Bando, Charleston Charlies
First base Greg Wells, Syracuse Chiefs
Second base Brian Giles, Tidewater Tides
Shortstop Andre Robertson, Columbus Clippers
Third base Cal Ripken Jr., Rochester Red Wings
Outfield Sam Bowen, Pawtucket Red Sox
Brett Butler, Richmond Braves
Gary Rajsich, Tidewater Tides
Designated hitter Steve Balboni, Columbus Clippers
Pitcher Dale Murray, Syracuse Chiefs
Bob Ojeda, Pawtucket Red Sox
Manager Eddie Haas, Richmond Braves

See also

References

  1. ^ 1981 IL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed 25 November 2024.
  2. ^ 1981 IL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed 25 November 2024.
  3. ^ 1981 Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed 25 November 2024.