# 1954 International League season

The 1954 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 20 and October 2. Eight teams played a 154-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Syracuse Chiefs won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Montreal Royals in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Baltimore Orioles relocated to Richmond, Virginia and were renamed the Richmond Virginians. The club also ended their affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies.
* The Springfield Cubs fold.
* The Havana Sugar Kings join the league as an expansion team.
* The Syracuse Chiefs ended their affiliation with the New York Yankees and began an affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies.

## Teams

1954 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Buffalo Bisons | Buffalo, New York | Detroit Tigers | Offermann Stadium |
| Havana Sugar Kings | Havana, Cuba | None | Gran Stadium |
| Montreal Royals | Montreal, Quebec | Brooklyn Dodgers | Delorimier Stadium |
| Ottawa Athletics | Ottawa, Ontario | Philadelphia Athletics | Lansdowne Park |
| Richmond Virginians | Richmond, Virginia | None | Parker Field |
| Rochester Red Wings | Rochester, New York | St. Louis Cardinals | Red Wing Stadium |
| Syracuse Chiefs | Syracuse, New York | Philadelphia Phillies | MacArthur Stadium |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | None | Maple Leaf Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Toronto Maple Leafs finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time since 1943.
* The Syracuse Chiefs and Havana Sugar Kings played a one-game tie-breaking game in Syracuse, New York for the final playoff position. The Chiefs defeated the Sugar Kings 13-4.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 97 | 57 | .630 | – |
| Montreal Royals | 88 | 66 | .571 | 9 |
| Rochester Red Wings | 86 | 68 | .558 | 11 |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 79 | 76 | .510 | 18.5 |
| Havana Sugar Kings | 78 | 77 | .503 | 19.5 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 71 | 83 | .461 | 26 |
| Richmond Virginians | 60 | 94 | .390 | 37 |
| Ottawa Athletics | 58 | 96 | .377 | 39 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Bill Virdon, Rochester Red Wings | .333 |
| H | Sam Jethroe, Toronto Maple Leafs | 181 |
| R | Sam Jethroe, Toronto Maple Leafs | 113 |
| 2B | Chico Fernández, Montreal Royals | 44 |
| 3B | Elston Howard, Toronto Maple Leafs | 16 |
| HR | Rocky Nelson, Montreal Royals | 31 |
| RBI | Ed Stevens, Toronto Maple Leafs | 113 |
| SB | Don Nicholas, Havana Sugar Kings | 37 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Jack Faszholz, Rochester Red Wings Ken Lehman, Montreal Royals Ed Roebuck, Montreal Royals | 18 |
| ERA | Jim Owens, Syracuse Chiefs | 2.87 |
| CG | Ed Roebuck, Montreal Royals | 20 |
| SHO | Ken Johnson, Buffalo Bisons Jim Owens, Syracuse Chiefs Ed Roebuck, Montreal Royals | 5 |
| SO | Jack Meyer, Syracuse Chiefs | 173 |
| IP | Jack Faszholz, Rochester Red Wings | 225.0 |

## Playoffs

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

### Playoff bracket

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

## Awards

Player awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Elston Howard, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Pitcher of the Year | Jim Owens, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Rookie of the Year | Jim Owens, Syracuse Chiefs |