# 1951 International League season

The 1951 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 18 and September 21. Eight teams played a 154-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Montreal Royals won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Syracuse Chiefs in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Jersey City Giants relocated to Ottawa, Ontario and became the Ottawa Giants and would remain affiliated with the New York Giants.
* The Baltimore Orioles ended their affiliation with the St. Louis Browns and began an affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies.
* The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies and began an affiliation with the St. Louis Browns.
* The Buffalo Bisons ended their affiliation with the Philadelphia Athletics.
* The Syracuse Chiefs ended their affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds.

## Teams

1951 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, Maryland | Philadelphia Phillies | Municipal Stadium |
| Buffalo Bisons | Buffalo, New York | None | Offermann Stadium |
| Montreal Royals | Montreal, Quebec | Brooklyn Dodgers | Delorimier Stadium |
| Ottawa Giants | Ottawa, Ontario | New York Giants | Lansdowne Park |
| Rochester Red Wings | Rochester, New York | St. Louis Cardinals | Red Wing Stadium |
| Springfield Cubs | Springfield, Massachusetts | Chicago Cubs | Pynchon Park |
| Syracuse Chiefs | Syracuse, New York | None | MacArthur Stadium |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | St. Louis Browns | Maple Leaf Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Montreal Royals finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time since 1948.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Montreal Royals | 95 | 59 | .617 | – |
| Rochester Red Wings | 83 | 69 | .546 | 11 |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 82 | 71 | .536 | 12.5 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 79 | 75 | .513 | 16 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 77 | 76 | .503 | 17.5 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 69 | 82 | .457 | 24.5 |
| Ottawa Giants | 62 | 88 | .413 | 31 |
| Springfield Cubs | 63 | 90 | .412 | 31.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Don Richmond, Rochester Red Wings | .350 |
| H | Archie Wilson, Buffalo Bisons | 191 |
| R | Jim Gilliam, Montreal Royals | 117 |
| 2B | Jack Wallaesa, Springfield Cubs | 40 |
| 3B | Carmen Mauro, Springfield Cubs | 11 |
| HR | Marv Rickert, Baltimore Orioles | 35 |
| RBI | Archie Wilson, Buffalo Bisons | 112 |
| SB | Héctor Rodríguez, Montreal Royals | 26 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Johnny Hetki, Toronto Maple Leafs | 19 |
| L | Jack Robinson, Syracuse Chiefs | 15 |
| ERA | Alex Konikowski, Ottawa Giants | 2.30 |
| CG | Karl Drews, Baltimore Orioles | 21 |
| SHO | Alex Konikowski, Ottawa Giants Eddie Yuhas, Rochester Red Wings | 5 |
| SO | Bill Miller, Syracuse Chiefs | 131 |
| IP | Johnny Hetki, Toronto Maple Leafs | 256.0 |

## Playoffs

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

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | | | |
| 4 | Buffalo | 0 | | | |
| 4 | Buffalo | 0 | 1 | Montreal | 4 |
| | | | 3 | Syracuse | 1 |
| 2 | Rochester | 1 | 3 | Syracuse | 1 |
| 3 | Syracuse | 4 | | | |

## Awards

Player awards :
| Award name | Recipient | Position |
| Most Valuable Player | Archie Wilson, Buffalo Bisons | Outfielder |
| Rookie of the Year | Héctor Rodríguez, Montreal Royals | Third baseman |