# 1940 International League season

The 1940 International League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 18 and September 15. Eight teams played a 162-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Newark Bears won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Baltimore Orioles in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Baltimore Orioles become an affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies.
* The Buffalo Bisons end their affiliation with the Cleveland Indians and become an affiliate for the Detroit Tigers.
* The Syracuse Chiefs become an affiliate for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
* The Toronto Maple Leafs become an affiliate for the Philadelphia Athletics.

## Teams

1940 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, Maryland | Philadelphia Phillies | Oriole Park |
| Buffalo Bisons | Buffalo, New York | Detroit Tigers | Offermann Stadium |
| Jersey City Giants | Jersey City, New Jersey | New York Giants | Roosevelt Stadium |
| Montreal Royals | Montreal, Quebec | Brooklyn Dodgers | Delorimier Stadium |
| Newark Bears | Newark, New Jersey | New York Yankees | Ruppert Stadium |
| Rochester Red Wings | Rochester, New York | St. Louis Cardinals | Red Wing Stadium |
| Syracuse Chiefs | Syracuse, New York | Pittsburgh Pirates | Municipal Stadium |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | Philadelphia Athletics | Maple Leaf Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Rochester Red Wings finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time since 1931.
* For the first time in league history, every team was affiliated with a Major League Baseball team.
* The schedule was increased from 154-games to 162-games.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Rochester Red Wings | 96 | 61 | .611 | – |
| Newark Bears | 95 | 65 | .594 | 2.5 |
| Jersey City Giants | 81 | 78 | .509 | 16 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 81 | 79 | .506 | 16.5 |
| Montreal Royals | 80 | 80 | .500 | 17.5 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 76 | 83 | .478 | 21 |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 71 | 90 | .441 | 27 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 57 | 101 | .361 | 39.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Red Howell, Baltimore Orioles | .359 |
| H | Tommy Holmes, Newark Bears | 211 |
| R | Tommy Holmes, Newark Bears | 126 |
| 2B | Gene Corbett, Baltimore Orioles Nick Etten, Baltimore Orioles George Staller, Montreal Royals | 40 |
| 3B | George Staller, Montreal Royals | 12 |
| HR | Bill Nagel, Baltimore Orioles | 37 |
| RBI | Nick Etten, Baltimore Orioles | 128 |
| SB | Eddie Collins Jr., Baltimore Orioles | 21 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Mike Ryba, Rochester Red Wings | 24 |
| L | Floyd Giebell, Buffalo Bisons Ted Kleinhans, Syracuse Chiefs | 17 |
| ERA | Hal White, Buffalo Bisons | 2.43 |
| CG | Mike Ryba, Rochester Red Wings | 25 |
| SHO | Mike Ryba, Rochester Red Wings Hank Gornicki, Rochester Red Wings | 5 |
| SO | George Washburn, Newark Bears | 145 |
| IP | Mike Ryba, Rochester Red Wings | 272.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Newark Bears won their third Governors' Cup in four seasons, defeating the Baltimore Orioles in seven games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| 1 | Rochester | 2 | | | |
| 4 | Baltimore | 4 | | | |
| 4 | Baltimore | 4 | 4 | Baltimore | 3 |
| | | | 2 | Newark | 4 |
| 2 | Newark | 4 | 2 | Newark | 4 |
| 3 | Jersey City | 0 | | | |