1989 Southern League season
| 1989 Southern League season | |
|---|---|
| League | Southern League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 7 – August 31 |
| Number of games | 144 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | Birmingham Barons |
| Season MVP | Eric Anthony, Columbus Mudcats |
| Playoffs | |
| League champions | Birmingham Barons |
| Runners-up | Greenville Braves |
The 1989 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 7 and August 31. Ten teams played a 144-game schedule, with the top team in each division in each half of the season qualifying for the post-season.
The Birmingham Barons won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Greenville Braves in the playoffs.
Team changes
- The Columbus Astros are renamed to the Columbus Mudcats. The club remained affiliated with the Houston Astros.
- The Charlotte Knights ended their affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles and began a new affiliation with the Chicago Cubs.
Teams
Map of teams
East Division 
West Division
Regular season
Summary
- The Birmingham Barons finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1983.
Standings
| East Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Orlando Twins | 79 | 65 | .549 | – |
| Greenville Braves | 70 | 69 | .504 | 6.5 |
| Columbus Mudcats | 71 | 72 | .497 | 7.5 |
| Charlotte Knights | 70 | 73 | .490 | 8.5 |
| Jacksonville Expos | 68 | 76 | .472 | 11 |
| West Division | ||||
| Birmingham Barons | 88 | 55 | .615 | – |
| Huntsville Stars | 82 | 61 | .573 | 6 |
| Knoxville Blue Jays | 67 | 76 | .469 | 21 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 58 | 81 | .417 | 28 |
| Memphis Chicks | 59 | 84 | .413 | 29 |
League Leaders
Batting leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Scott Leius, Orlando Twins | .303 |
| H | Craig Grebeck, Birmingham Barons | 153 |
| R | Rich Amaral, Birmingham Barons | 90 |
| 2B | Paul Sorrento, Orlando Twins | 35 |
| 3B | Jerome Nelson, Chattanooga Lookouts | 13 |
| HR | Eric Anthony, Columbus Mudcats | 28 |
| RBI | Paul Sorrento, Orlando Twins | 112 |
| SB | C. L. Penigar, Birmingham Barons | 64 |
Pitching leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Laddie Renfroe, Charlotte Knights | 19 |
| ERA | Pete Delkus, Orlando Twins | 1.87 |
| CG | Grady Hall, Birmingham Barons | 9 |
| SHO | Howard Farmer, Jacksonville Expos Greg Kallevig, Charlotte Knights Darryl Kile, Columbus Mudcats Doug Linton, Knoxville Blue Jays Dale Polley, Greenville Braves Woody Williams, Knoxville Blue Jays Ray Young, Huntsville Stars |
2 |
| SV | Joe Klink, Huntsville Stars | 26 |
| IP | Grady Hall, Birmingham Barons | 190.2 |
| SO | Shawn Boskie, Charlotte Knights | 164 |
Playoffs
- The Birmingham Barons won their fourth Southern League championship, defeating the Greenville Braves in three games.
Playoff bracket
| Division finals | Finals | ||||||||
| E1 | Orlando | 1 | |||||||
| E2 | Greenville | '3 | |||||||
| E2 | Greenville | 0 | |||||||
| W1 | Birmingham | 3 | |||||||
| W1 | Birmingham | 3 | |||||||
| W2 | Huntsville | 1 | |||||||
Awards
| Southern League awards | |
|---|---|
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Eric Anthony, Columbus Mudcats |
| Pitcher of the Year | Laddie Renfroe, Charlotte Knights |
| Manager of the Year | Jeff Newman, Huntsville Stars |
See also
References
- ^ 1989 SOUL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed March 10, 2025
- ^ 1989 SL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed March 10, 2025
- ^ 1989 SL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed March 10, 2025