# 1944 International League season

The 1944 International League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 20 and October 4. Eight teams played a 154-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Baltimore Orioles won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Newark Bears in the final round of the playoffs.

## Teams

1944 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, Maryland | Cleveland Indians | Oriole Park Municipal Stadium |
| 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 | Cincinnati Reds | MacArthur Stadium |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | Pittsburgh Pirates | Maple Leaf Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Baltimore Orioles finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time since 1925.
* On the night of July 3, Oriole Park was burned down due to a fire. The Baltimore Orioles quickly arranged to move into a temporary home, Municipal Stadium for the remainder of the season. Due to the large crowds and motivated by the Orioles success, the City of Baltimore chose to renovate Municipal Stadium and it would become the Orioles permanent home.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Baltimore Orioles | 84 | 68 | .553 | – |
| Newark Bears | 85 | 69 | .552 | – |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 79 | 74 | .516 | 5.5 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 78 | 76 | .506 | 7 |
| Jersey City Giants | 74 | 79 | .484 | 10.5 |
| Montreal Royals | 73 | 80 | .477 | 11.5 |
| Rochester Red Wings | 71 | 82 | .464 | 13.5 |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 68 | 84 | .447 | 16 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Mayo Smith, Buffalo Bisons | .340 |
| H | Howie Moss, Baltimore Orioles | 178 |
| R | Blas Monaco, Baltimore Orioles | 135 |
| 2B | Howie Moss, Baltimore Orioles | 44 |
| 3B | Eddie Malone, Rochester Red Wings | 21 |
| HR | Howie Moss, Baltimore Orioles | 27 |
| RBI | Howie Moss, Baltimore Orioles | 141 |
| SB | Escal Burnett, Rochester Red Wings | 41 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Red Embree, Baltimore Orioles | 19 |
| L | Sid West, Baltimore Orioles | 16 |
| ERA | Woody Crowson, Toronto Maple Leafs | 2.41 |
| CG | Hod Lisenbee, Syracuse Chiefs | 24 |
| SHO | Frank Hiller, Newark Bears Prince Oana, Buffalo Bisons | 6 |
| SO | Red Embree, Baltimore Orioles | 225 |
| IP | Hod Lisenbee, Syracuse Chiefs | 248.0 |

## Playoffs

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

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| 1 | Baltimore | 4 | | | |
| 4 | Buffalo | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Buffalo | 3 | 1 | Baltimore | 4 |
| | | | 2 | Newark | 3 |
| 2 | Newark | 4 | 2 | Newark | 3 |
| 3 | Toronto | 0 | | | |