# 1989 Carolina League season

The 1989 Carolina League was a Class A baseball season played between April 7 and August 30. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the winners of each half of the season competing in the playoffs.
The Prince William Cannons won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Durham Bulls in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Hagerstown Suns relocated to Frederick, Maryland and were renamed the Frederick Keys. The club remained affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles.
* The Prince William Yankees were renamed the Prince William Cannons. The club remained affiliated with the New York Yankees.
* The Virginia Generals were renamed the Peninsula Pilots.

## Teams

1989 Carolina League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| North | Frederick Keys | Frederick, Maryland | Baltimore Orioles | McCurdy Field |
| North | Lynchburg Red Sox | Lynchburg, Virginia | Boston Red Sox | City Stadium |
| North | Prince William Cannons | Woodbridge, Virginia | New York Yankees | Prince William County Stadium |
| North | Salem Buccaneers | Salem, Virginia | Pittsburgh Pirates | Salem Municipal Field |
| South | Durham Bulls | Durham, North Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Durham Athletic Park |
| South | Kinston Indians | Kinston, North Carolina | Cleveland Indians | Grainger Stadium |
| South | Peninsula Pilots | Hampton, Virginia | None | War Memorial Stadium |
| South | Winston-Salem Spirits | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Chicago Cubs | Ernie Shore Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Durham Bulls finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1962.
* The Frederick Keys failed to qualify for the post-season despite finishing with the best record in the North Division, as the team did not finish in first place in either half of the season.

### Standings

North division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Frederick Keys | 73 | 65 | .529 | – |
| Prince William Cannons | 72 | 66 | .522 | 1 |
| Lynchburg Red Sox | 70 | 66 | .515 | 2 |
| Salem Buccaneers | 63 | 75 | .457 | 10 |
| South division |||||
| Durham Bulls | 84 | 54 | .609 | – |
| Kinston Indians | 76 | 60 | .559 | 7 |
| Winston-Salem Spirits | 64 | 71 | .474 | 18.5 |
| Peninsula Pilots | 44 | 89 | .331 | 37.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | David Segui, Frederick Keys | .317 |
| H | John Wehner, Salem Buccaneers | 155 |
| R | Al Martin, Durham Bulls | 84 |
| 2B | Ken Pennington, Durham Bulls | 34 |
| 3B | Pat Kelly, Prince William Cannons | 7 |
| HR | Phil Plantier, Lynchburg Red Sox | 27 |
| RBI | Phil Plantier, Lynchburg Red Sox | 105 |
| SB | Rod Lofton, Frederick Keys | 62 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Mike Draper, Prince William Cannons | 14 |
| ERA | Ray Mullino, Winston-Salem Spirits | 2.32 |
| CG | Mike Aspray, Winston-Salem Spirits | 10 |
| SV | Joe Ausanio, Salem Buccaneers | 20 |
| SO | Derek Livernois, Lynchburg Red Sox | 151 |
| IP | Mike Aspray, Winston-Salem Spirits | 177.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Prince William Cannons won their first Carolina League championship, defeating the Durham Bulls in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Prince William | 2 | | | |
| N2 | Lynchburg | 1 | | | |
| N2 | Lynchburg | 1 | N1 | Prince William | 3 |
| | | | S1 | Durham | 1 |
| S1 | Durham | bye | S1 | Durham | 1 |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Phil Plantier, Lynchburg Red Sox |
| Pitcher of the Year | Charles Nagy, Kinston Indians |
| Manager of the Year | Grady Little, Durham Bulls |