# 1981 Carolina League season

The 1981 Carolina League was a Class A baseball season played between April 10 and August 31. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the winners of each half of the season competing in the playoffs.
The Hagerstown Suns won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Peninsula Pilots in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Rocky Mount Pines relocated to Hagerstown, Maryland, and are renamed the Hagerstown Suns. The club began an affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles.
* The Salem Pirates ended their affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates and began a new affiliation with the San Diego Padres. The club is renamed the Salem Redbirds.
* The Alexandria Dukes began an affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

## Teams

1981 Carolina League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| North | Alexandria Dukes | Alexandria, Virginia | Pittsburgh Pirates | Municipal Stadium at Four Mile Run |
| North | Hagerstown Suns | Hagerstown, Maryland | Baltimore Orioles | Municipal Stadium |
| North | Lynchburg Mets | Lynchburg, Virginia | New York Mets | City Stadium |
| North | Salem Redbirds | Salem, Virginia | San Diego Padres | Salem Municipal Field |
| South | Durham Bulls | Durham, North Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Durham Athletic Park |
| South | Kinston Eagles | Kinston, North Carolina | Toronto Blue Jays | Grainger Stadium |
| South | Peninsula Pilots | Hampton, Virginia | Philadelphia Phillies | War Memorial Stadium |
| South | Winston-Salem Red Sox | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Boston Red Sox | Ernie Shore Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Peninsula Pilots finished with the best record in the league for the second consecutive season.

### Standings

North division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Hagerstown Suns | 70 | 68 | .507 | – |
| Lynchburg Mets | 71 | 69 | .507 | – |
| Salem Redbirds | 66 | 74 | .471 | 5 |
| Alexandria Dukes | 62 | 75 | .453 | 7.5 |
| South division |||||
| Peninsula Pilots | 71 | 65 | .522 | – |
| Winston-Salem Red Sox | 72 | 67 | .518 | 0.5 |
| Kinston Eagles | 72 | 68 | .514 | 1 |
| Durham Bulls | 70 | 68 | .507 | 2 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Brad Komminsk, Durham Bulls | .322 |
| H | Brad Komminsk, Durham Bulls Benjamin Perez, Kinston Eagles | 148 |
| R | Gerry Davis, Salem Redbirds | 114 |
| 2B | John Schaive, Alexandria Dukes | 33 |
| 3B | Billy Beane, Lynchburg Mets John Pavlik, Hagerstown Suns | 9 |
| HR | Gerry Davis, Salem Redbirds | 34 |
| RBI | Brad Komminsk, Durham Bulls | 104 |
| SB | Gus Burgess, Winston-Salem Red Sox | 68 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Mike Brown, Winston-Salem Red Sox | 14 |
| ERA | Mike Brown, Winston-Salem Red Sox | 1.49 |
| CG | Mike Brown, Winston-Salem Red Sox | 12 |
| SV | Marty Decker, Peninsula Pilots | 18 |
| SO | Jeff Bittiger, Lynchburg Mets | 168 |
| IP | Rick Behenna, Durham Bulls | 196.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Hagerstown Suns won their first Carolina League championship, defeating the Peninsula Pilots in three games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Hagerstown | 1 | | | |
| N2 | Salem | 0 | | | |
| N2 | Salem | 0 | N1 | Hagerstown | 3 |
| | | | S1 | Peninsula | 0 |
| S1 | Peninsula | 1 | S1 | Peninsula | 0 |
| S2 | Kinston | 0 | | | |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Brad Komminsk, Durham Bulls |
| Pitcher of the Year | Mike Brown, Winston-Salem Red Sox |
| Manager of the Year | Grady Little, Hagerstown Suns |