# 1971 International League season

The 1971 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 16 and September 13. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Rochester Red Wings won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Tidewater Tides in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Columbus Jets relocated to Charleston, West Virginia and were renamed the Charleston Charlies. The club remained affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

## Teams

1971 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Charleston Charlies | Charleston, West Virginia | Pittsburgh Pirates | Watt Powell Park |
| Louisville Colonels | Louisville, Kentucky | Boston Red Sox | Fairgrounds Stadium |
| Richmond Braves | Richmond, Virginia | Atlanta Braves | Parker Field |
| Rochester Red Wings | Rochester, New York | Baltimore Orioles | Silver Stadium |
| Syracuse Chiefs | Syracuse, New York | New York Yankees | MacArthur Stadium |
| Tidewater Tides | Norfolk, Virginia | New York Mets | Met Park |
| Toledo Mud Hens | Toledo, Ohio | Detroit Tigers | Lucas County Stadium |
| Winnipeg Whips | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Montreal Expos | Winnipeg Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Rochester Red Wings finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1966.
* On June 24, 1971, an International League all-star team beat the New York Yankees, 15–13, in an exhibition game at Silver Stadium in Rochester, New York, before a crowd of 11,001—notable players on the all-star squad included Don Baylor, Carlton Fisk, and Bobby Grich.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Rochester Red Wings | 86 | 54 | .614 | – |
| Tidewater Tides | 79 | 61 | .564 | 7 |
| Charleston Charlies | 78 | 62 | .557 | 8 |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 73 | 67 | .521 | 13 |
| Louisville Colonels | 71 | 69 | .507 | 15 |
| Richmond Braves | 69 | 71 | .493 | 17 |
| Toledo Mud Hens | 60 | 80 | .429 | 26 |
| Winnipeg Whips | 44 | 96 | .314 | 42 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Bobby Grich, Rochester Red Wings | .336 |
| H | Johnny Jeter, Charleston Charlies | 168 |
| R | Bobby Grich, Rochester Red Wings | 124 |
| 2B | Don Baylor, Rochester Red Wings Leroy Stanton, Tidewater Tides | 31 |
| 3B | Juan Beníquez, Louisville Colonels | 16 |
| HR | Bobby Grich, Rochester Red Wings | 32 |
| RBI | Richie Zisk, Charleston Charlies | 109 |
| SB | Johnny Jeter, Charleston Charlies | 36 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Jim Bibby, Tidewater Tides Roric Harrison, Rochester Red Wings | 15 |
| ERA | Buzz Capra, Tidewater Tides | 2.19 |
| CG | Lynn McGlothen, Louisville Colonels | 13 |
| SHO | Buzz Capra, Tidewater Tides | 6 |
| SV | Don Koonce, Tidewater Tides | 15 |
| SO | Roric Harrison, Rochester Red Wings | 182 |
| IP | Gary Neibauer, Richmond Braves | 194.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Rochester Red Wings won their sixth Governors' Cup, defeating the Tidewater Tides in five games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| 1 | Rochester | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Syracuse | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Syracuse | 1 | 1 | Rochester | 3 |
| | | | 2 | Tidewater | 2 |
| 2 | Tidewater | 3 | 2 | Tidewater | 2 |
| 3 | Charleston | 0 | | | |

## Awards

International League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Bobby Grich, Rochester Red Wings |
| Pitcher of the Year | Roric Harrison, Rochester Red Wings |
| Rookie of the Year | Rusty Torres, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Manager of the Year | Joe Altobelli, Rochester Red Wings |

## All-star team

International League all-star team :
| Position | All-star |
| Catcher | Johnny Oates, Rochester Red Wings George Pena, Syracuse Chiefs |
| First base | Dave McDonald, Winnipeg Whips |
| Second base | Rennie Stennett, Charleston Charlies |
| Shortstop | Bobby Grich, Rochester Red Wings |
| Third base | Len Boehmer, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Outfield | Don Baylor, Rochester Red Wings Johnny Jeter, Charleston Charlies Leroy Stanton, Tidewater Tides |
| Pitcher | Roric Harrison, Rochester Red Wings Brent Strom, Tidewater Tides |
| Manager | Joe Altobelli, Rochester Red Wings |