1946 South Atlantic League season

1946 South Atlantic League season
League	South Atlantic League
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 17 – September 4
Number of games	140
Number of teams	8
Regular season
League champions	Columbus Cardinals
Playoffs
League champions	Augusta Tigers
Runners-up	Columbia Reds

The 1946 South Atlantic League was a Class A baseball season played between April 17 and September 4. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs.

The Augusta Tigers won the South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Columbia Reds in the final round of the playoffs.

League changes

• At the end of the 1942 season, the South Atlantic League announced that the league would shutdown due to World War II. The league resumed play in 1946.
• The league was elevated from Class B to Class A beginning in 1946.

Team changes

• The Columbus Red Birds are renamed to the Columbus Cardinals. The club remained affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals.
• The Augusta Tigers ended their affiliation with the Detroit Tigers and began a new affiliation with the New York Yankees.
• The Greenville Spinners began an affiliation with the Chicago White Sox.
• The Savannah Indians began an affiliation with the Philadelphia Athletics.

Teams

1946 South Atlantic League
Team	City	MLB Affiliate	Stadium
Augusta Tigers	Augusta, Georgia	New York Yankees	Municipal Stadium
Charleston Rebels	Charleston, South Carolina	None	College Park
Columbia Reds	Columbia, South Carolina	Cincinnati Reds	Capital City Stadium
Columbus Cardinals	Columbus, Georgia	St. Louis Cardinals	Golden Park
Greenville Spinners	Greenville, South Carolina	Chicago White Sox	Meadowbrook Park
Jacksonville Tars	Jacksonville, Florida	New York Giants	Durkee Field
Macon Peaches	Macon, Georgia	Chicago Cubs	Luther Williams Field
Savannah Indians	Savannah, Georgia	Philadelphia Athletics	Grayson Stadium

Map of teams

Augusta

Charleston

Columbia

Columbus

Greenville

Jackson-
ville

Macon

Savannah

South Atlantic League teams

Regular season

Summary

• The Columbus Cardinals finish the season with the best record for the first time since 1939.

Standings

South Atlantic League
Team	Win	Loss	%	GB
Columbus Cardinals	79	60	.568	–
Columbia Reds	78	61	.561	1
Greenville Spinners	76	62	.551	2.5
Augusta Tigers	76	63	.547	3
Charleston Rebels	65	75	.464	14.5
Jacksonville Tars	65	75	.464	14.5
Macon Peaches	61	79	.436	18.5
Savannah Indians	55	81	.404	23.5

League Leaders

Batting leaders

Stat	Player	Total
AVG	Ted Kluszewski, Columbia Reds	.352
H	Frank Baumholtz, Columbia Reds Frank Boeck, Augusta Tigers	162
R	Frank Boeck, Augusta Tigers	103
2B	Frank Baumholtz, Columbia Reds	43
3B	Roy Broome, Columbus Cardinals	16
HR	Bob Erps, Columbus Cardinals	16
RBI	Roy Broome, Columbus Cardinals	99
SB	Roy Hartsfield, Charleston Rebels	18

Pitching leaders

Stat	Player	Total
W	Sheldon Jones, Jacksonville Tars Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers	19
ERA	Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers	2.07
CG	Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers	24
SHO	Matthew Nolan, Greenville Spinners Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers	5
IP	Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers	287.0
SO	Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers	233

Playoffs

• The Augusta Tigers won their fourth South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Columbia Reds in four games.

Playoff bracket

	Semi-finals					Finals
	1	Columbus	1
	4	Augusta	4
						4	Augusta	4
						2	Columbia	0
	2	Columbia	4
	3	Greenville	2

See also

• 1946 Major League Baseball season

External links

• Minor League Baseball official website