The 1963 Carolina League was a Class A baseball season played between April 19 and September 7. Ten teams played a 144-game schedule, with the top two teams in each division qualifying for the post-season.
The Wilson Tobs won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Greensboro Yankees in the final round of the playoffs.
League changes The Carolina League was reclassified from Class B to Class A beginning in the 1963 season. The league split into two five-team divisions, the East Division and the West Division.
Team changes The Peninsula Senators joined the league as an expansion team. The club would be affiliated with the Washington Senators. The Tidewater Tides joined the league as an expansion team. The Raleigh Capitals ended their affiliation with the Washington Senators and began a new affiliation with the New York Mets. The club was renamed the Raleigh Mets.
Teams 1963 Carolina League Division Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium East Kinston Eagles Kinston, North Carolina Pittsburgh Pirates Grainger Stadium Peninsula Senators Hampton, Virginia Washington Senators War Memorial Stadium Rocky Mount Leafs Rocky Mount, North Carolina Cincinnati Reds Municipal Stadium Tidewater Tides Norfolk, Virginia None Frank D. Lawrence Stadium Wilson Tobs Wilson, North Carolina Minnesota Twins Fleming Stadium West Burlington Indians Burlington, North Carolina Cleveland Indians Burlington Athletic Stadium Durham Bulls Durham, North Carolina Houston Colt .45s Durham Athletic Park Greensboro Yankees Greensboro, North Carolina New York Yankees World War Memorial Stadium Raleigh Mets Raleigh, North Carolina New York Mets Devereaux Meadow Winston-Salem Red Sox Winston-Salem, North Carolina Boston Red Sox Ernie Shore Field
Map of teams
Regular season Summary The Greensboro Yankees finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1960. The regular season schedule was extended from 140-games to 144-games.
Standings 1963 CL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed December 6, 2024 East division Team Win Loss % GB Kinston Eagles 77 66 – Wilson Tobs 77 67 0.5 Rocky Mount Leafs 72 72 5.5 Tidewater Tides 65 79 12.5 Peninsula Senators 58 86 19.5West division Greensboro Yankees 85 59 – Durham Bulls 78 65 6.5 Burlington Indians 77 66 7.5 Winston-Salem Red Sox 67 76 17.5 Raleigh Mets 62 82 23
League Leaders Batting leaders 1963 CL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 6, 2024 Stat Player Total AVG Art López, Greensboro Yankees .338 H Don Bosch, Kinston Eagles 189 R Roy White, Greensboro Yankees 117 2B Ron Durham, Burlington Indians 38 3B Art López, Greensboro Yankees 12 HR Walt Matthews, Durham Bulls 30 RBI Jim Price, Kinston Eagles 109 SB Johnny Parker, Burlington Indians 41
Pitching leaders 1963 CL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 6, 2024 Stat Player Total W Chuck Kovach, Burlington Indians Jerry Merz, Rocky Mount Leafs 17 ERA James Horsford, Greensboro Yankees 1.41 CG Luis Tiant, Burlington Indians 17 SHO Luis Tiant, Burlington Indians 6 SO Luis Tiant, Burlington Indians 207 IP Don Flynn, Rocky Mount Leafs 211.0
Playoffs The Wilson Tobs won their third Carolina League championship, defeating the Greensboro Yankees in three games. The final series was reduced from a best-of-seven series to a best-of-three series. The semi-finals remained a best-of-five series.
Playoff bracket
Awards Carolina League awards Award name Recipient Most Valuable Player Jim Price, Kinston Eagles Manager of the Year Pat Colgan, Burlington Indians
See also 1963 Major League Baseball season
References
External links Minor League Baseball official website