1959 South Atlantic League season

1959 South Atlantic League season South Atlantic League Baseball April 13 – September 1 140 8 Regular season Knoxville Smokies Playoffs Gastonia Pirates Charleston ChaSox List of South Atlantic League seasons SAL 1958 South Atlantic League season 1958 1960 South Atlantic League season 1960 The 1959 South Atlantic League was a Class A baseball season played between April 13 and September 1. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs. The Gastonia Pirates won the South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Charleston ChaSox in the final round of the playoffs. Team changes The Augusta Tigers disbanded. The Asheville Tourists join the league from the Tri-State League, last playing in 1955. The club began an affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies. Previously, the team played in the South Atlantic Association from 1924 to 1930. The Charleston ChaSox join the league as an expansion team. The Columbus Foxes re-join the league from the Alabama-Florida League. The club began an affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates and were renamed the Columbus Pirates. The Knoxville Smokies ended their affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles and began a new affiliation with the Detroit Tigers. The Savannah Redlegs are renamed the Savannah Reds. The club remained affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. Teams 1959 South Atlantic League Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium Asheville Tourists Asheville, North Carolina Philadelphia Phillies McCormick Field Charleston ChaSox Charleston, South Carolina Chicago White Sox Hampton Park Charlotte Hornets Charlotte, North Carolina Washington Senators Clark Griffith Park Columbus Pirates Gastonia Pirates Columbus, Georgia Gastonia, North Carolina Pittsburgh Pirates Golden Park Sims Legion Park Jacksonville Braves Jacksonville, Florida Milwaukee Braves Jacksonville Baseball Park Knoxville Smokies Knoxville, Tennessee Detroit Tigers Knoxville Municipal Stadium Macon Dodgers Macon, Georgia Los Angeles Dodgers Luther Williams Field Savannah Reds Savannah, Georgia Cincinnati Reds Grayson Stadium Map of teams left 10px South Atlantic League teams 1125 425 370 190 990 USA 2900 USA 35.58 -82.55 Black pog.svg 80 top Asheville #ffe USA 32.80 -79.96 Black pog.svg 80 top Charleston #ffe USA 35.20 -80.85 Black pog.svg 80 bottom Charlotte #ffe USA 32.45 -84.99 Black pog.svg 80 top Columbus #ffe USA 35.28 -81.18 Black pog.svg 80 top Gastonia #ffe USA 30.33 -81.64 Black pog.svg 80 top Jackson-ville #ffe USA 35.97 -83.93 Black pog.svg 80 top Knoxville #ffe USA 32.83 -83.61 Black pog.svg 80 top Macon #ffe USA 32.04 -81.08 Black pog.svg 80 top Savannah #ffe Regular season Summary The Knoxville Smokies finish the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1929. On July 6, the Columbus Pirates relocated to Gastonia, North Carolina and were renamed the Gastonia Pirates. Standings 1959 SALLY Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed February 23, 2025 South Atlantic League Team Win Loss % GB Knoxville Smokies 78 62 78 62 – Charlotte Hornets 75 65 75 65 3 Charleston ChaSox 71 69 71 69 7 Columbus Pirates / Gastonia Pirates 70 69 70 69 7.5 Asheville Tourists 70 70 70 70 8 Savannah Reds 67 73 67 73 11 Jacksonville Braves 65 75 65 75 13 Macon Dodgers 63 76 63 76 14.5 League Leaders Batting leaders 1959 SAL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed February 23, 2025 Stat Player Total AVG Nathan Dickerson, Asheville Tourists .363 H Thomas St. John, Savannah Reds 148 R Harry Warner, Charlotte Hornets 94 2B Ben Tompkins, Asheville Tourists 30 3B Jose Cesar, Macon Dodgers 14 HR Cliff Cook, Savannah Reds 32 RBI Cliff Cook, Savannah Reds 100 SB Bill Fox, Macon Dodgers 29 Pitching leaders 1959 SAL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed February 23, 2025 Stat Player Total W Jack Taylor, Asheville Tourists 18 ERA Jim Proctor, Knoxville Smokies 2.19 CG Bob Botz, Jacksonville Braves Jim Proctor, Knoxville Smokies Duane Richards, Savannah Reds 15 SHO William Dial, Columbus / Gastonia 4 IP Bob Botz, Jacksonville Braves 244.0 SO Ray Daviault, Macon Dodgers 169 Playoffs The semi-finals and finals are extended to a best-of-five series. The Gastonia Pirates won their first South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Charleston ChaSox in three games. Playoff bracket Semi-finals Finals 1 Knoxville 2 3 Charleston 3 2 Charlotte 2 4 Gastonia 3 3 Charleston 0 4 Gastonia 3 See also 1959 Major League Baseball season References External links Minor League Baseball official website South Atlantic League season Category:1959 in sports in Florida Category:1959 in sports in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:1959 in sports in North Carolina Category:1959 in sports in South Carolina Category:1959 in sports in Tennessee