INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE REVIEW
Keystones Win First Governor's Cup
No-Hitter in Game 4, 11-Inning Thriller in Game 5
PHILADELPHIA (Sept. 15) -- The Philadelphia Keystones won back-to-back 1-0 shutouts to turn around a 2-1 series deficit and lift the Governor's Cup trophy for the first time, three games to two over the Havana Sugar Kings. 
     After splitting the first two games in Havana and being shut down by Mickey Lolich's five-hitter in Game 3, Stones pitchers Fred Talbot and Seth Morehead combined to no-hit the Sugar Kings in Game 4.  Phil Niekro battled Talbot pitch-for-pitch, and the score remained scoreless going to the bottom of the ninth, when Havana's Bob "Moose" Lee relieved Niekro, only to give up a Len Gabrielson single and Jerry Kindall double that set up Andre Rodgers' game-winning sac fly two batters later, sending the series back to Cuba for the decisive fifth game.
     Not to be outdone, Philly's Ken Johnson battled Havana's Joe Hardin for nine scoreless innings in Game 5.  The game remained scoreless into the 11th, before Lee, who had pitched a scoreless 10th, again got into trouble, giving up back-to-back singles to Vic Davalillo and Gabrielson, setting up a Kindall sac fly. Hal Woodeshick sat down the Kings in order in the bottom of the 11th to zip up the win and the trophy for Philadelphia.
     The back-to-back pitchers duels were a fitting conclusion to a fitting championship tilt.  Havana and Philadelphia were the circuit's two dominant pitching teams.  Havana's 2.66 and Philly's 2.69 ERAs were nearly a half-point better than Pittsburgh and Denver, the other two playoff teams.
     Havana boasted the league leaders in wins, ERA, and strikeouts -- three different pitchers: Joe Horlen (17-5, 2.58), Tom Seaver (13-8, 1.88) and Lolich (14-8, 2.47, 187 K).  Niekro (13-8, 2.96) rounded out the IL's best rotation.  Havana's bullpen was only mediocre, aside from Lee, who was stellar in the closer role (1.90 ERA, 16 saves).  But the 29-year-old from Ottumwa, Iowa was inconsolable after the back-to-back losses.  Lee was 0-3,  10.80 in the playoffs.  In his only previous playoff appearance, "Moose" gave up two runs in the 11th inning for a 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, the Kings' only loss of the series.  Havana had the league's best regular season record (82-48), winning their fifth straight divisional title, making them the only club to make the playoffs in all five International League seasons.  1B Ken Harrelson led the club with a .313 average, 28 home runs, and 81 RBIs.
     Philly finished the regular season 79-51, second place in the East but good enough to secure the wildcard and a return to the IL playoffs for the first time in three years.  The Keystones were one of the weaker hitting teams in the league (7th in OPS, 9th in runs), but made up for it with ace Steve Blass (15-1, 2.14) and the league's best bullpen (Gary Waslewski 0.84 ERA), Jim Coates (1.15), Claude Raymond (1.42), and Woodeshick (1.47, 15 saves).
     The Keystones rolled over Denver 3-1 in the semifinals, just as Havana crushed Pittsburgh.  The Maulers made their first playoff appearance, winning the weak North Division with a 70-60 record, largely on the strength of their pitching (reminiscent of their parent club, Cleveland).  The starting trio of Jim O'Toole (14-12, 3.19), Eli Grba (11-6, 2.56), and Jim Hardin (11-7, 2.39) gave the Maulers the third best rotation in the league, while 1B Chico Salmon (.275-13-68) led the team in home runs and RBIs.  The Denver Grizzlies defended their West Division crown, again edging Kansas City, this time by five games.  The Grizzlies were the IL's top offensive team, leading the league in batting (.286), home runs (130, exactly 1 per game), and OPS (.780).  CF Tommie Agee (.323-22-73) won the batting title, and finished second in home runs and fourth in RBIs.  C Jack Hiatt (.270-14-62), LF Willie Horton (.307-14-39), RF Roman Mejias (.287-13-45), and 3B Rich Rollins (.271-12-67) all cracked double digits in home runs.  Denver's staff was led by Barry Moore (11-1, 2.91) and was bolstered by the midseason call-up of Joe Niekro from Memphis.  The younger Niekro was 8-2, 2.70 in 15 starts.
     Kansas City finished a strong second in the West, but finished three games behind Philly for the wildcard and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1964.  Jim Gosger (.315-10-42, .905 OPS) and Matty Alou (.370-4-37, .897) each finished in the top five in VORP.

Around the league Seattle 1B Lee May led the league with 91 RBIs and was third in slugging (.474) and OPS (.825) Houston's Tommy McCraw lead the league with 152 hits. Philadelphia's Len Gabrielson, who played a key role in the Governor's Cup, was the league's Iron Man, appearing in all 130 regular season and nine postseason games. After a North Division championship a year ago, the Montreal Alouettes have reverted to their previous form, as the Atlanta, then Louisville Colonels.  Montreal (45-85) with the IL's worst record. Buffalo's Maury Wills won his 3rd UL stolen base title, swiping 32 bases, two more than Havana's Tony Gonzalez. Baltimore's Bob Priddy lead the league in saves with 20, despite a 4.54 ERA.  Pittsburgh's Dennis Ribant was second with 19 saves. Seattle's Juan Marichal (15-12, 2.85) was the league's top workhorse, leading the league with 253 innings and 21 complete games in 32 starts. Havana's starting rotation (Joe Horlen, Tom Seaver, Mickey Lolich, and Jim Hardin) ranked 1-4 in WHIP, ranging from 1.02 to 1.05.  Phil Niekro ranked 8th with 1.17.

Top Performances Denver's Willie Horton hit a homer hat trick against Seattle on Apr. 20. Denver catcher Jack Hiatt hit 5-for-5 with 3 doubles and a home run and 7 RBIs in a 30-2 rout of Baltimore Aug. 2.  Denver scored 9 runs in the first inning and had 32 hits for 53 total bases. Denver hitters had 13 of the top 25 performances, including three each by Hiatt and Tommie Agee. Two players hit for the cycle: Toronto's Bubba Morton on July 8, and Montreal's Phil Gagliano on Aug. 19. Havana pitchers had 11 of the top 25 performances, including six by Mickey Lolich, including the top two--one-hit and four-hit shutouts--and a 14-strikeout performance against Pittsburgh on June 7.

Relocation Rumors
The owners of the Seattle Totems will not renew the five-year lease at Sicks Stadium and sources close to the club say the team will not play in Seattle next season.  The Totems, Triple-A affiliates of San Francisco, have been one of the poorest performing teams in the IL, both on the field and at the turnstiles.  The club has never finished higher than third in its division, and ranks dead last in attendance in the International League's first five years.  Attendance improved by 16 percent this year, but the club still ranked in the lower third and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

Sources also tell Circuit Clouts that the struggling Buffalo Bisons are being wooed by several cities, including Cincinnati and Minneapolis.  Buffalo drew over 300,000 to ___ in 1965, but despite playing close to .500 ball the last two seasons, attendance has plummeted.  Club officials blame the decline on the tight concentration of UL and IL clubs in the Northeast, but Bison supporters claim this is just an excuse to move the club to the sparsely-baseball-populated Midwest.
ews and Notes: