# 1986 International League season

The 1986 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 11 and September 11. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Richmond Braves won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Rochester Red Wings in the final round of the playoffs.

## Teams

1986 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Columbus Clippers | Columbus, Ohio | New York Yankees | Cooper Stadium |
| Maine Guides | Old Orchard Beach, Maine | Cleveland Indians | The Ball Park |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | Boston Red Sox | McCoy Stadium |
| Richmond Braves | Richmond, Virginia | Atlanta Braves | The Diamond |
| Rochester Red Wings | Rochester, New York | Baltimore Orioles | Silver Stadium |
| Syracuse Chiefs | Syracuse, New York | Toronto Blue Jays | MacArthur Stadium |
| Tidewater Tides | Norfolk, Virginia | New York Mets | Met Park |
| Toledo Mud Hens | Toledo, Ohio | Minnesota Twins | Lucas County Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Richmond Braves finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1982.
* On August 16, Don Cooper and Colin McLaughlin of the Syracuse Chiefs combined to pitch a seven inning no-hitter in a 4-0 win against the Richmond Braves at The Diamond in Richmond, Virginia.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Richmond Braves | 80 | 60 | .571 | – |
| Rochester Red Wings | 75 | 63 | .543 | 4 |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | 74 | 65 | .532 | 5.5 |
| Tidewater Tides | 74 | 66 | .529 | 6 |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 72 | 67 | .518 | 7.5 |
| Columbus Clippers | 62 | 77 | .446 | 17.5 |
| Toledo Mud Hens | 62 | 77 | .446 | 17.5 |
| Maine Guides | 58 | 82 | .414 | 22 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Andre David, Pawtucket Red Sox | .328 |
| H | Mike Sharperson, Syracuse Chiefs | 150 |
| R | Mike Sharperson, Syracuse Chiefs | 86 |
| 2B | Leo Hernández, Columbus Clippers | 35 |
| 3B | Mike Sharperson, Syracuse Chiefs | 9 |
| HR | Ken Gerhart, Rochester Red Wings | 28 |
| RBI | Pat Dodson, Pawtucket Red Sox | 102 |
| SB | Albert Hall, Richmond Braves | 72 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Charlie Puleo, Richmond Braves | 14 |
| ERA | Doug Jones, Maine Guides | 2.09 |
| CG | Charlie Puleo, Richmond Braves Bill Swaggerty, Rochester Red Wings | 9 |
| SV | Luis DeLeón, Rochester Red Wings | 13 |
| SO | Charlie Puleo, Richmond Braves Steve Shields | 124 |
| IP | Brad Arnsberg, Columbus Clippers | 177.1 |

## Playoffs

* The Richmond Braves won their second Governors' Cup, defeating the Rochester Red Wings in five games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| 1 | Richmond | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Tidewater | 0 | | | |
| 4 | Tidewater | 0 | 1 | Richmond | 3 |
| | | | 2 | Pawtucket | 2 |
| 2 | Rochester | 3 | 2 | Pawtucket | 2 |
| 3 | Pawtucket | 1 | | | |

## Awards

International League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Pat Dodson, Pawtucket Red Sox |
| Pitcher of the Year | John Mitchell, Tidewater Tides |
| Rookie of the Year | Orestes Destrade, Columbus Clippers |
| Manager of the Year | John Hart, Rochester Red Wings |

## All-star team

International League all-star team :
| Position | All-star |
| Catcher | Pat Dempsey, Toledo Mud Hens |
| First base | Pat Dodson, Pawtucket Red Sox |
| Second base | Mike Sharperson, Syracuse Chiefs |
| Shortstop | Paul Zuvella, Richmond / Columbus |
| Third base | Dave Magadan, Tidewater Tides |
| Outfield | Mike Greenwell, Pawtucket Red Sox Gerald Perry, Richmond Braves La Schelle Tarver, Pawtucket Red Sox |
| Designated hitter | Pete Dalena, Columbus Clippers |
| Starting pitcher | John Mitchell, Tidewater Tides |
| Relief pitcher | Randy Myers, Tidewater Tides |