The South Atlantic League, nicknamed the SALLY League, was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the Southern United States intermittently from 1904 to 1963. Initially Class C league, it was elevated to Class B in 1921, Class A in 1946, and Double-A in 1963. The circuit dissolved after the 1963 season and was refounded as the Southern League.
History The league first played a brief season under the "South Atlantic League" name in 1892. The Charleston Sea Gulls, Charlotte Hornets, Columbia Senators and Winston-Salem Blue Sluggers played in the 1892 independent league. The first South Atlantic League regular season schedule began on April 30, 1892. The league then folded on June 10, 1892. In the final standings, the Charleston Seagulls finished in first place with a 20–13 record, finishing 1.5 games ahead of second-place Winston-Salem.
The original South Atlantic League was founded in 1904 by Charles W. Boyer and J.B. Lucy as a Class C league, equivalent to an Advanced Rookie league in the pre-2021 minor league scheme. After a year of dormancy in 1918, it continued at that classification from 1919 to 1920 before being elevated to Class B (equivalent to short-season Class A before 2021 and a Class A league today)in 1921. The Great Depression caused the league to shut down from 1931 to 1935, but it returned at Class B from 1936 to 1942. Three more years of dormancy occurred during World War II, but the SALLY League was revived as a Class A circuit from 1946 to 1962.
In 1963, it was reclassified as a Double-A league along with the other Class A leagues. The circuit reorganized as the Southern League in 1964. Partly to distance itself from its history in the low minors, the newly-named league opted against claiming the SALLY League's history as its own. Thusly, the 51-year history and records of the league was retired with the South Atlantic League name.
In 1980, the Western Carolinas League resurrected the name as it became the current South Atlantic League.
Cities represented 1904–1963
Albany, Georgia: Albany Babies (1911–1916) Asheville, North Carolina: Asheville Tourists (1924–1930, 1959–1963) Augusta, Georgia: Augusta Tourists (1904-1910, 1914–1917); Augusta Dollies (1919); Augusta Georgians (1920–1921); Augusta Tygers (1922–1929); Augusta Wolves (1930); Augusta Tigers (1936–1942, 1946–1952); Augusta Rams (1953–1954); Augusta Tigers (1955–1958); Augusta Yankees (1962–1963) Charleston, South Carolina: Charleston Sea Gulls (1904–1909, 1911, 1913–1917); Charleston Gulls (1919); Charleston Palmettos (1920); Charleston Pals (1921–1923); Charleston Rebels (1940–1942, 1946–1953); Charleston ChaSox (1959);Charleston White Sox (1960–1961) Charlotte, North Carolina: Charlotte Hornets (1919–1930, 1954–1963) Chattanooga, Tennessee: Chattanooga Lookouts (1963) Columbia, South Carolina: Columbia Skyscrapers (1904); Columbia Gamecocks (1905-1910); Columbia Commies (1911); Columbia Comers (1912, 1914–1917, 1919–1923, 1925–1930); Columbia Senators (1936–1937); Columbia Reds (1938–1942, 1946–1955, 1960–1961); Columbia Gems (1956–1957) Columbus, Georgia: Columbus Foxes (1909–1917); Columbus Red (1936–1942); Cardinals (1946–1955); Columbus Foxes (1956–1957); Columbus Pirates (1959) Gastonia, North Carolina: Gastonia Comers (1923); Gastonia Pirates (1959) Greenville, South Carolina: Greenville Spinners (1919–1930, 1938-1942, 1946–1950, 1961–1962) Jacksonville, Florida: Jacksonville Jays (1904–1910); Jacksonville Tarpons (1911–1916); Jacksonville Roses (1917); Jacksonville Tars (1936–1942, 1946–1952); Jacksonville Braves (1953–1960); Jacksonville Jets (1961) Knoxville, Tennessee: Knoxville Appalachians (1909); Knoxville Smokies (1925–1929, 1956–1963) Lynchburg, Virginia: Lynchburg White Sox (1962–1963) Macon, Georgia: Macon Highlanders (1904); Macon Brigands (1905–1907); Macon Peaches (1908–1915); Macon Tigers (1916–1917); Macon Peaches (1923–1930, 1936–1942, 1946–1955); Macon Dodgers (1956–1960); Macon Peaches (1962–1963) Montgomery, Alabama: Montgomery Rebels (1916, 1951, 1954–1956); Montgomery Grays (1952–1953) Nashville, Tennessee: Nashville Vols (1963) Portsmouth, Virginia & Norfolk, Virginia: Portsmouth-Norfolk Tides (1961–1962) Savannah, Georgia: Savannah Pathfinders (1904–1905); Savannah Indians (1906–1912); Savannah Colts (1913–1915) Savannah Indians (1936–1942, 1946–1953); Savannah Athletics (1954–1955); Savannah Redlegs (1956–1958); Savannah Reds (1959); Savannah Pirates (1960); Savannah White Sox (1962) South Atlantic League Orphans Spartanburg, South Carolina: Spartanburg Pioneers (1919–1921); Spartanburg Spartans (1922–1929, 1938–1940)
Champions
League champions were determined by different means throughout the league's history. Playoffs were held in most seasons, while in others the champions were simply the regular season pennant winners.
Year Champion Score Runner-up1904Macon Peaches——1905Macon Peaches——1906Savannah Indians——1907Charleston Sea Gulls——1908Jacksonville Jays——1909Chattanooga Lookouts4–3Augusta Tourists1910Columbus Foxes——1911Columbus Foxes4–2Columbia Commies1912Jacksonville Tarpons4–1Columbus Foxes1913Savannah Colts——1914Savannah Colts4–2Albany Babies1915Columbia Comers4–1–2Macon Peaches1916Augusta Tourists4–0Columbia Comers1917Columbia Comers4–2Charleston Sea Gulls19181919Columbia Comers——1920Columbia Comers——1921Columbia Comers——1922Charleston Pals——1923Charlotte Hornets4–1Macon Peaches1924Augusta Tygers——1925Spartanburg Spartans——1926Greenville Spinners——1927Greenville Spinners——1928Asheville Tourists——1929Knoxville Smokies—Asheville Tourists1930Greenville Spinners4–2Macon Peaches193119321933193419351936Columbus Red Birds4–2Jacksonville Tars1937Savannah Indians3–1Macon Peaches1938Macon Peaches4–3Savannah Indians1939Augusta Tigers4–0Savannah Indians1940Columbus Red Birds4–2Macon Peaches1941Columbia Reds4–2Macon Peaches1942Augusta Tigers4–0Columbia Reds1943194419451946Augusta Tigers——1947Savannah Indians4–1Augusta Tigers1948Greenville Spinners4–1Columbia Reds1949Macon Peaches4–1Greenville Spinners1950Macon Peaches4–0Columbia Reds1951Montgomery Rebels4–0Jacksonville Tars1952Montgomery Grays4–2Macon Peaches1953Columbia Reds4–3Jacksonville Braves1954Savannah Athletics4–3Jacksonville Braves1955Augusta Tigers2–1Montgomery Rebels1956Jacksonville Braves2–0Columbus Foxes1957Charlotte Hornets2–1Augusta Tigers1958Macon Dodgers2–0Jacksonville Braves1959Gastonia Pirates3–0Charleston ChaSox1960Savannah Pirates3–0Knoxville Smokies1961Asheville Tourists——1962Macon Peaches3–1Knoxville Smokies1963Augusta Yankees——
References