The 1972 Carolina League was a Class A baseball season played between April 14 and August 30. Six teams played a 138-game schedule, with the top team in each half of the season competing for the championship.
The Salem Pirates won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Burlington Rangers in the final round of the playoffs.
Team changes The Peninsula Phillies leave the league and join the International League. The Raleigh-Durham Triangles fold. The Burlington Senators are renamed the Burlington Rangers. The club remains affiliated with the Texas Rangers following the relocation of the Washington Senators. The Salem Rebels are renamed the Salem Pirates. The club remains affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Teams 1972 Carolina League Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium Burlington Rangers Burlington, North Carolina Texas Rangers Burlington Athletic Stadium Kinston Eagles Kinston, North Carolina New York Yankees Grainger Stadium Lynchburg Twins Lynchburg, Virginia Minnesota Twins City Stadium Rocky Mount Leafs Rocky Mount, North Carolina Detroit Tigers Municipal Stadium Salem Pirates Salem, Virginia Pittsburgh Pirates Salem Municipal Field Winston-Salem Red Sox Winston-Salem, North Carolina Boston Red Sox Ernie Shore Field
Map of teams
Regular season Summary The Salem Pirates finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1968.
Standings 1972 CL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed December 9, 2024 Carolina League Team Win Loss % GB Salem Pirates 79 58 – Burlington Rangers 77 61 2.5 Kinston Eagles 73 64 6 Lynchburg Twins 70 68 9.5 Winston-Salem Red Sox 65 74 15 Rocky Mount Leafs 49 88 30
League Leaders Batting leaders 1972 CL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 9, 2024 Stat Player Total AVG Dane Iorg, Burlington Rangers .321 H Dave Parker, Salem Pirates 162 R Dave Parker, Salem Pirates 91 2B Dave Parker, Salem Pirates 30 3B Ed Ott, Salem Pirates 10 HR Bob Gorinski, Lynchburg Twins 23 RBI Dave Parker, Salem Pirates 101 SB Dave Parker, Salem Pirates 38
Pitching leaders 1972 CL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 9, 2024 Stat Player Total W Jim Minshall, Salem Pirates 16 ERA Rick Kemp, Burlington Rangers 2.38 CG Doug Bair, Salem Pirates 15 SV Walter Walters, Kinston Eagles 16 SO Dave Pagan, Kinston Eagles 192 IP Jim Hughes, Lynchburg Twins 192.0
Playoffs The Salem Pirates won their first Carolina League championship, defeating the Burlington Rangers in three games.
Playoff bracket
Awards Carolina League awards Award name Recipient Most Valuable Player Dave Parker, Salem Pirates Manager of the Year Gene Hassell, Kinston Eagles
See also 1972 Major League Baseball season
References
External links Minor League Baseball official website