# 1974 International League season

The 1974 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 19 and September 23. Eight teams played a 144-game schedule, with the top two teams in each division qualifying for the post-season.
The Rochester Red Wings won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Syracuse Chiefs in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Peninsula Whips relocated to Memphis, Tennessee and were renamed the Memphis Blues. The club remained affiliated with the Montreal Expos.
* The Toledo Mud Hens ended their affiliation with the Detroit Tigers and began an affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies.
* The divisions were renamed to Northern Division and Southern Division, as the league only had three American League team affiliates compared to five National League affiliates.

## Teams

1974 International League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Northern |
| Northern | Pawtucket Red Sox | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | Boston Red Sox | McCoy Stadium |
| Northern | Rochester Red Wings | Rochester, New York | Baltimore Orioles | Silver Stadium |
| Northern | Syracuse Chiefs | Syracuse, New York | New York Yankees | MacArthur Stadium |
| Northern | Toledo Mud Hens | Toledo, Ohio | Philadelphia Phillies | Lucas County Stadium |
| Southern |
| Southern | Charleston Charlies | Charleston, West Virginia | Pittsburgh Pirates | Watt Powell Park |
| Southern | Memphis Blues | Memphis, Tennessee | Montreal Expos | Blues Stadium |
| Southern | Richmond Braves | Richmond, Virginia | Atlanta Braves | Parker Field |
| Southern | Tidewater Tides | Norfolk, Virginia | New York Mets | Met Park |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Memphis Blues finished with the best record in the league in their inaugural season.
* The regular season schedule changed from 146-games to 144-games.

### Standings

Northern Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Rochester Red Wings | 88 | 56 | .611 | – |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 74 | 70 | .514 | 14 |
| Toledo Mud Hens | 70 | 74 | .486 | 18 |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | 57 | 87 | .396 | 31 |
Southern Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Memphis Blues | 87 | 55 | .613 | – |
| Richmond Braves | 75 | 65 | .536 | 11 |
| Charleston Charlies | 62 | 81 | .434 | 25.5 |
| Tidewater Tides | 57 | 82 | .410 | 28.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Jim Rice, Pawtucket Red Sox | .337 |
| H | Rob Andrews, Rochester Red Wings | 165 |
| R | Bob Beall, Richmond Braves | 105 |
| 2B | Larvell Blanks, Richmond Braves | 29 |
| 3B | Bill Flowers, Charleston Charlies | 8 |
| HR | Jim Rice, Pawtucket Red Sox | 25 |
| RBI | Jim Rice, Pawtucket Red Sox | 93 |
| SB | Pepe Mangual, Memphis Blues | 46 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Bill Kirkpatrick, Rochester Red Wings | 15 |
| ERA | Jamie Easterly, Richmond Braves | 2.54 |
| CG | Scott McGregor, Syracuse Chiefs | 12 |
| SV | Mickey Scott, Rochester Red Wings | 17 |
| SO | Jim Burton, Pawtucket Red Sox | 146 |
| IP | Scott McGregor, Syracuse Chiefs | 199 |

## Playoffs

* The Rochester Red Wings won their seventh Governors' Cup, defeating the Syracuse Chiefs in seven games.
* The semi-finals and finals were expanded from a best-of-five series to a best-of-seven series.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| N1 | Rochester | 4 | | | |
| S1 | Memphis | 2 | | | |
| S1 | Memphis | 2 | N1 | Rochester | 4 |
| | | | N2 | Syracuse | 3 |
| N2 | Syracuse | 4 | N2 | Syracuse | 3 |
| S2 | Richmond | 1 | | | |

## Awards

International League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Jim Rice, Pawtucket Red Sox |
| Pitcher of the Year | Scott McGregor, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Rookie of the Year | Jim Rice, Pawtucket Red Sox |
| Manager of the Year | Karl Kuehl, Memphis Blues |