1981 International League season
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| 1981 International League season | |
|---|---|
| League | International League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 10 – September 16 |
| Number of games | 140 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Brett Butler, Richmond Braves |
| Governors' Cup Playoffs | |
| League champions | Columbus Clippers |
| Runners-up | Richmond Braves |
The 1981 International League was a Class AAA baseball season played between April 10 and September 16. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Columbus Clippers won the Governors' Cup, defeating the Richmond Braves in the final round of the playoffs.
- The Charleston Charlies ended their affiliation with the Texas Rangers and began a new affiliation with the Cleveland Indians.
Teams
Map of teams
Regular season
Summary
- The Columbus Clippers finished with the best record in the league for the third consecutive season.
Standings
| International League | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Columbus Clippers | 88 | 51 | .633 | – |
| Richmond Braves | 83 | 56 | .597 | 5 |
| Tidewater Tides | 70 | 68 | .507 | 17.5 |
| Rochester Red Wings | 69 | 70 | .496 | 19 |
| Charleston Charlies | 67 | 72 | .482 | 21 |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | 67 | 73 | .479 | 21.5 |
| Syracuse Chiefs | 60 | 80 | .429 | 28.5 |
| Toledo Mud Hens | 53 | 87 | .379 | 35.5 |
League Leaders
Batting leaders
Pitching leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Ken Dayley, Richmond Braves Larry McWilliams, Richmond Braves | 13 |
| ERA | Bob Ojeda, Pawtucket Red Sox | 2.13 |
| CG | Tom Brennan, Charleston Charlies Tom Dixon, Tidewater Tides | 11 |
| SV | Dale Murray, Syracuse Chiefs | 16 |
| SO | Ken Dayley, Richmond Braves | 162 |
| IP | Ken Dayley, Richmond Braves | 200 |
Playoffs
- The Columbus Clippers won their third consecutive Governors' Cup, defeating the Richmond Braves in three games.
- The Clippers became the first team in the league to win three straight Governors' Cups and the first team since the Rochester Red Wings from 1928 to 1931 to win at least three consecutive titles.
- The final round was shortened to a best-of-three series due to poor weather. There were a total of 10 rainouts during the post-season.
Playoff bracket
| Semi-finals | Governors' Cup | ||||||||
| 1 | Columbus | 3 | |||||||
| 4 | Rochester | 2 | |||||||
| 1 | Columbus | 2 | |||||||
| 2 | Richmond | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Richmond | 3 | |||||||
| 3 | Tidewater | 2 | |||||||
Awards
| International League awards | |
|---|---|
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Brett Butler, Richmond Braves |
| Pitcher of the Year | Bob Ojeda, Pawtucket Red Sox |
| Rookie of the Year | Cal Ripken Jr., Rochester Red Wings |
| Manager of the Year | Eddie Haas, Richmond Braves |