The 1953 South Atlantic League was a Class A baseball season played between April 14 and September 2. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs.
The Columbia Reds won the South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Jacksonville Braves in the final round of the playoffs.
Team changes The Augusta Tigers are renamed to the Augusta Rams. The Jacksonville Tars end their affiliation with the New York Giants and began a new affiliation with the Milwaukee Braves. The club is renamed to the Jacksonville Braves. The Montgomery Grays begin an affiliation with the Detroit Tigers.
Teams 1953 South Atlantic League Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium Augusta Rams Augusta, Georgia None Jennings Stadium Charleston Rebels Charleston, South Carolina Pittsburgh Pirates College Park Columbia Reds Columbia, South Carolina Cincinnati Redlegs Capital City Stadium Columbus Cardinals Columbus, Georgia St. Louis Cardinals Golden Park Jacksonville Braves Jacksonville, Florida Milwaukee Braves Durkee Field Macon Peaches Macon, Georgia Chicago Cubs Luther Williams Field Montgomery Grays Montgomery, Alabama Detroit Tigers Municipal Field Savannah Indians Savannah, Georgia Philadelphia Athletics Grayson Stadium
Map of teams
Regular season Summary The Jacksonville Braves finish the season with the best record for the first time in franchise history. The Savannah Indians defeated the Macon Peaches in a tie-breaking game to finish in fourth place in the league standings and qualify for the post-season.
Standings 1953 SALLY Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed February 21, 2025 South Atlantic League Team Win Loss % GB Jacksonville Braves 93 44 – Columbia Reds 92 48 2.5 Columbus Cardinals 67 70 26 Savannah Indians 68 73 27 Macon Peaches 67 74 28 Augusta Rams 65 74 29 Charleston Rebels 55 84 39 Montgomery Grays 50 90 44.5
League Leaders Batting leaders 1953 SAL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed February 21, 2025 Stat Player Total AVG Hank Aaron, Jacksonville Braves .362 H Hank Aaron, Jacksonville Braves 208 R Hank Aaron, Jacksonville Braves 115 2B Hank Aaron, Jacksonville Braves 36 3B Jim Bolger, Columbia Reds 16 HR Tommy Giordano, Savannah Indians 24 RBI Hank Aaron, Jacksonville Braves 125 SB Ev Joyner, Columbus Cardinals Don Morrow, Montgomery Grays 19
Pitching leaders 1953 SAL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed February 21, 2025 Stat Player Total W Ray Crone, Jacksonville Braves Larry Lassalle, Jacksonville Braves 19 ERA Corky Valentine, Columbia Reds 2.11 CG Joe Kuncl, Macon Peaches 21 SHO Barney Martin, Columbia Reds 7 IP Alfred Burch, Savannah Indians 254.0 SO Larry Lassalle, Jacksonville Braves 185
Playoffs The Columbia Reds won their second South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Jacksonville Braves in seven games.
Playoff bracket
See also 1953 Major League Baseball season
References
External links Minor League Baseball official website