# 1959 International League season

The 1959 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 14 and September 22. Eight teams played a 154-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Havana Sugar Kings won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Richmond Virginians in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Buffalo Bisons end their affiliation with the Kansas City Athletics and begin an affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies.
* The Miami Marlins end their affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies and begin an affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles.

## Teams

1959 International League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Buffalo Bisons | Buffalo, New York | Philadelphia Phillies | Offermann Stadium |
| Columbus Jets | Columbus, Ohio | Pittsburgh Pirates | Jets Stadium |
| Havana Sugar Kings | Havana, Cuba | Cincinnati Reds | Gran Stadium |
| Miami Marlins | Miami, Florida | Baltimore Orioles | Miami Stadium |
| Montreal Royals | Montreal, Quebec | Los Angeles Dodgers | Delorimier Stadium |
| Richmond Virginians | Richmond, Virginia | New York Yankees | Parker Field |
| Rochester Red Wings | Rochester, New York | St. Louis Cardinals | Red Wing Stadium |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | None | Maple Leaf Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Buffalo Bisons finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1949.

### Standings

International League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Buffalo Bisons | 89 | 64 | .582 | – |
| Columbus Jets | 84 | 70 | .545 | 5.5 |
| Havana Sugar Kings | 80 | 73 | .523 | 9 |
| Richmond Virginians | 76 | 78 | .494 | 13.5 |
| Rochester Red Wings | 74 | 80 | .481 | 15.5 |
| Montreal Royals | 72 | 82 | .468 | 17.5 |
| Miami Marlins | 71 | 83 | .461 | 18.5 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 69 | 85 | .448 | 20.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Pancho Herrera, Buffalo Bisons | .329 |
| H | Pancho Herrera, Buffalo Bisons | 187 |
| R | Bobby Del Greco, Buffalo Bisons | 109 |
| 2B | Woody Smith, Miami Marlins | 49 |
| 3B | Tony González, Havana Sugar Kings | 16 |
| HR | Pancho Herrera, Buffalo Bisons | 37 |
| RBI | Pancho Herrera, Buffalo Bisons | 128 |
| SB | Larry Raines, Toronto Maple Leafs | 32 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Bob Keegan, Rochester Red Wings | 18 |
| L | Babe Birrer, Montreal Royals Harry Byrd, Miami Marlins | 16 |
| ERA | Artie Kay, Miami Marlins | 2.08 |
| CG | Jim Archer, Miami Marlins | 16 |
| SHO | Joe Gibbon, Columbus Jets Al Jackson, Columbus Jets | 4 |
| SO | Joe Gibbon, Columbus Jets | 152 |
| IP | Bob Keegan, Rochester Red Wings | 234.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Havana Sugar Kings won their first Governors' Cup, defeating the Richmond Virginians in six games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup | Governors' Cup |
| 1 | Buffalo | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Richmond | 4 | | | |
| 4 | Richmond | 4 | 4 | Richmond | 2 |
| | | | 3 | Havana | 4 |
| 2 | Columbus | 0 | 3 | Havana | 4 |
| 3 | Havana | 4 | | | |

## Awards

Player awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Pancho Herrera, Buffalo Bisons |
| Pitcher of the Year | Bill Short, Richmond Virginians |
| Rookie of the Year | Charlie James, Rochester Red Wings |