# 1976 International League season

The 1976 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 16 and September 11. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Syracuse Chiefs won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Richmond Braves in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Pawtucket Red Sox were renamed the Rhode Island Red Sox.
* The Memphis Blues ended their affiliation with the Montreal Expos and began a new affiliation with the Houston Astros.
* The Toledo Mud Hens ended their affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies and began a new affiliation with the Cleveland Indians.

## Teams

1976 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Charleston Charlies | Charleston, West Virginia | Pittsburgh Pirates | Watt Powell Park |
| Memphis Blues | Memphis, Tennessee | Houston Astros | Blues Stadium |
| Rhode Island Red Sox | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | Boston Red Sox | McCoy 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 | Cleveland Indians | Lucas County Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Rochester Red Wings finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1971.
* For the first time in league history, three players were named co-winners of the International League Most Valuable Player Award. The players winning the award were Rich Dauer of the Rochester Red Wings, Mickey Klutts of the Syracuse Chiefs and Joe Lis of the Toledo Mud Hens.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Rochester Red Wings | 88 | 50 | .638 | – |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 82 | 57 | .590 | 6.5 |
| Memphis Blues | 69 | 69 | .500 | 19 |
| Richmond Braves | 69 | 71 | .493 | 20 |
| Rhode Island Red Sox | 68 | 70 | .493 | 20 |
| Charleston Charlies | 62 | 73 | .459 | 24.5 |
| Tidewater Tides | 60 | 78 | .435 | 28 |
| Toledo Mud Hens | 55 | 85 | .393 | 34 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Rich Dauer, Rochester Red Wings | .336 |
| H | Rich Dauer, Rochester Red Wings | 176 |
| R | Joe Lis, Toledo Mud Hens | 93 |
| 2B | Fernando González, Charleston Charlies | 31 |
| 3B | Kiko Garcia, Rochester Red Wings | 10 |
| HR | Jack Baker, Rhode Island Red Sox | 36 |
| RBI | Joe Lis, Toledo Mud Hens | 103 |
| SB | Miguel Diloné, Charleston Charlies | 61 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Dennis Martínez, Rochester Red Wings | 14 |
| ERA | Dennis Martínez, Rochester Red Wings | 2.50 |
| CG | Dennis Martínez, Rochester Red Wings | 16 |
| SV | Rick Baldwin, Tidewater Tides | 14 |
| SO | Dennis Martínez, Rochester Red Wings | 140 |
| IP | Jackson Todd, Tidewater Tides | 201 |

## Playoffs

* The Syracuse Chiefs won their eighth Governors' Cup, defeating the Richmond Braves in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| 1 | Rochester | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Richmond | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Richmond | 3 | 4 | Richmond | 1 |
| | | | 2 | Syracuse | 3 |
| 2 | Syracuse | 3 | 2 | Syracuse | 3 |
| 3 | Memphis | 0 | | | |

## Awards

International League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Rich Dauer, Rochester Red Wings Mickey Klutts, Syracuse Chiefs Joe Lis, Toledo Mud Hens |
| Pitcher of the Year | Dennis Martínez, Rochester Red Wings |
| Rookie of the Year | Rich Dauer, Rochester Red Wings |
| Manager of the Year | Joe Altobelli, Rochester Red Wings |

## All-star team

International League all-star team :
| Position | All-star |
| Catcher | John Stearns, Tidewater Tides |
| First base | Joe Lis, Toledo Mud Hens |
| Second base | Rich Dauer, Rochester Red Wings |
| Shortstop | Mickey Klutts, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Third base | Butch Hobson, Rhode Island Red Sox |
| Outfield | Miguel Diloné, Charleston Charlies Omar Moreno, Charleston Charlies Terry Whitfield, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Right-handed pitcher | Dennis Martínez, Rochester Red Wings |
| Left-handed pitcher | Scott McGregor, Rochester / Syracuse |
| Manager | Joe Altobelli, Rochester Red Wings |