# 1953 International League season

The 1953 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 22 and September 28. 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 Rochester Red Wings in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Syracuse Chiefs became affiliated with the New York Yankees.
* The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their affiliation with the St. Louis Browns.

## Teams

1953 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, Maryland | Philadelphia Phillies | Municipal Stadium |
| Buffalo Bisons | Buffalo, New York | Detroit Tigers | Offermann Stadium |
| Montreal Royals | Montreal, Quebec | Brooklyn Dodgers | Delorimier Stadium |
| Ottawa Athletics | Ottawa, Ontario | Philadelphia Athletics | 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 | New York Yankees | MacArthur Stadium |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | None | Maple Leaf Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Rochester Red Wings finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time since 1950.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Rochester Red Wings | 97 | 57 | .630 | – |
| Montreal Royals | 89 | 63 | .586 | 7 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 87 | 65 | .572 | 9 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 82 | 72 | .532 | 15 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 78 | 76 | .506 | 19 |
| Ottawa Athletics | 71 | 83 | .461 | 26 |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 58 | 95 | .379 | 38.5 |
| Springfield Cubs | 51 | 102 | .333 | 45.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Sandy Amorós, Montreal Royals | .353 |
| H | Sandy Amorós, Montreal Royals | 190 |
| R | Sandy Amorós, Montreal Royals | 128 |
| 2B | Sandy Amorós, Montreal Royals | 40 |
| 3B | Herb Adams, Springfield Cubs | 12 |
| HR | Rocky Nelson, Montreal Royals | 34 |
| RBI | Rocky Nelson, Montreal Royals | 136 |
| SB | Walter Rogers, Ottawa Athletics | 30 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Bob Trice, Ottawa Athletics | 21 |
| L | Jim Brosnan, Springfield Cubs Don Elston, Springfield Cubs Duke Markell, Syracuse Chiefs | 17 |
| ERA | Don Johnson, Toronto Maple Leafs | 2.67 |
| CG | Don Elston, Springfield Cubs Bob Trice, Ottawa Athletics | 20 |
| SHO | Bob Trice, Ottawa Athletics | 4 |
| SO | Don Johnson, Don Johnson | 156 |
| IP | Duke Markell, Syracuse Chiefs | 247.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Montreal Royals won their sixth Governors' Cup, defeating the Rochester Red Wings in four games.

### Playoff bracket

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

## Awards

Player awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Rocky Nelson, Montreal Royals |
| Pitcher of the Year | Bob Trice, Ottawa Athletics |
| Rookie of the Year | Bob Trice, Ottawa Athletics |