# 1962 Carolina League season

The 1962 Carolina League was a Class B baseball season played between April 24 and September 9. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Kinston Eagles won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Durham Bulls in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Kinston Eagles joined the league as an expansion team. The club begins an affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
* The Rocky Mount Leafs joined the league as an expansion team. The club begins an affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds.
* The Durham Bulls ended their affiliation with the Detroit Tigers and begins a new affiliation with the Houston Colt .45s. The team was renamed the Winston-Salem Red Sox.
* The Raleigh Capitals began an affiliation with the Washington Senators.

## Teams

1962 Carolina League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| 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 |
| Kinston Eagles | Kinston, North Carolina | Pittsburgh Pirates | Grainger Stadium |
| Raleigh Capitals | Raleigh, North Carolina | Washington Senators | Devereaux Meadow |
| Rocky Mount Leafs | Rocky Mount, North Carolina | Cincinnati Reds | Municipal Stadium |
| Wilson Tobs | Wilson, North Carolina | Minnesota Twins | Fleming Stadium |
| Winston-Salem Red Sox | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Boston Red Sox | Ernie Shore Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Durham Bulls finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1957.

### Standings

Carolina League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Durham Bulls | 89 | 51 | .636 | – |
| Kinston Eagles | 83 | 57 | .593 | 6 |
| Winston-Salem Red Sox | 76 | 64 | .543 | 13 |
| Burlington Indians | 66 | 74 | .471 | 23 |
| Greensboro Yankees | 65 | 75 | .464 | 24 |
| Wilson Tobs | 65 | 75 | .464 | 24 |
| Rocky Mount Leafs | 60 | 80 | .429 | 29 |
| Raleigh Capitals | 56 | 84 | .400 | 33 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | César Tovar, Rocky Mount Leafs | .329 |
| H | Ronnie Flender, Rocky Mount Leafs César Tovar, Rocky Mount Leafs | 168 |
| R | Rusty Staub, Durham Bulls César Tovar, Rocky Mount Leafs | 121 |
| 2B | César Tovar, Rocky Mount Leafs | 35 |
| 3B | Augie Garrido, Burlington Indians | 12 |
| HR | Bert Barth, Rocky Mount Leafs | 33 |
| RBI | Bert Barth, Rocky Mount Leafs | 136 |
| SB | César Tovar, Rocky Mount Leafs | 56 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Frank Bork, Kinston Eagles | 19 |
| ERA | Steve Blass, Kinston Eagles | 1.97 |
| CG | Frank Bork, Kinston Eagles | 18 |
| SHO | Steve Blass, Kinston Eagles | 8 |
| SO | Steve Blass, Kinston Eagles | 209 |
| IP | Mel Stottlemyre, Greensboro Yankees | 241.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Kinston Eagles won their first Carolina League championship, defeating the Durham Bulls in seven games.
* With the return of the playoffs this season, the semi-finals were a best-of-three season and the finals were a best-of-seven series.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Durham | 2 | | | |
| 4 | Burlington | 0 | | | |
| 4 | Burlington | 0 | 1 | Durham | 3 |
| | | | 2 | Kinston | 4 |
| 2 | Kinston | 2 | 2 | Kinston | 4 |
| 3 | Winston-Salem | 1 | | | |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Rusty Staub, Durham Bulls |
| Manager of the Year | Lou Fitzgerald, Durham Bulls |