The 1973 Carolina League was a Class A baseball season played between April 13 and August 29. Six teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top team in each half of the season competing for the championship.
The Winston-Salem Red Sox won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Lynchburg Twins in the final round of the playoffs.
Team changes The Burlington Rangers fold. The Wilson Pennants join the league. The Kinston Eagles ended their affiliation with the New York Yankees. The Rocky Mount Leafs ended their affiliation with the Detroit Tigers and begin a new affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies. The club is renamed the Rocky Mount Phillies.
Teams 1973 Carolina League Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium Kinston Eagles Kinston, North Carolina None Grainger Stadium Lynchburg Twins Lynchburg, Virginia Minnesota Twins City Stadium Rocky Mount Phillies Rocky Mount, North Carolina Philadelphia Phillies Municipal Stadium Salem Pirates Salem, Virginia Pittsburgh Pirates Salem Municipal Field Wilson Pennants Wilson, North Carolina None Fleming Stadium Winston-Salem Red Sox Winston-Salem, North Carolina Boston Red Sox Ernie Shore Field
Map of teams
Regular season Summary The Lynchburg Twins finished with the best record in the league for the first time in franchise history.
Standings 1973 CL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed December 9, 2024 Carolina League Team Win Loss % GB Lynchburg Twins 78 60 – Winston-Salem Red Sox 77 62 1.5 Rocky Mount Phillies 75 65 4 Kinston Eagles 68 69 9.5 Salem Pirates 66 72 12 Wilson Pennants 52 88 27
League Leaders Batting leaders 1973 CL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 9, 2024 Stat Player Total AVG Terry Whitfield, Kinston Eagles .335 H Craig Reynolds, Salem Pirates 160 R Omar Moreno, Salem Pirates 112 2B Jeffrey Geach, Kinston Eagles 34 3B Dale Soderholm, Lynchburg Twins 12 HR Jim Obradovich, Lynchburg Twins Terry Whitfield, Kinston Eagles 18 RBI Chuck Erickson, Winston-Salem Red Sox 101 SB Omar Moreno, Salem Pirates 77
Pitching leaders 1973 CL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 9, 2024 Stat Player Total W Bill Stiegemeier, Lynchburg Twins Roy Thomas, Rocky Mount Phillies 15 ERA Roy Thomas, Rocky Mount Phillies 2.24 CG Larry Demery, Salem Pirates 14 SV Tippy Martinez, Kinston Eagles Barry Sbragia, Winston-Salem Red Sox 15 SO Roy Thomas, Rocky Mount Phillies 193 IP Quencey Hill, Rocky Mount Phillies 203.0
Playoffs The Winston-Salem Red Sox won their fifth Carolina League championship, defeating the Lynchburg Twins in five games. The championship round was extended from a best-of-three series to a best-of-five series.
Playoff bracket
Awards Carolina League awards Award name Recipient Most Valuable Player Terry Whitfield, Kinston Eagles Manager of the Year Dick Phillips, Lynchburg Twins
See also 1973 Major League Baseball season
References
External links Minor League Baseball official website