# 1980 Carolina League season

The 1980 Carolina League was a Class A baseball season played between April 11 and August 31. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top team from each division competing for the league championship.
The Peninsula Pilots won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Durham Bulls in the final round of the playoffs.

## League changes

* With two new teams joining the league, the teams were split up into two four-team divisions.
* The new divisions are the North Division and the South Division.

## Team changes

* The Durham Bulls rejoin the league as an expansion team. They began an affiliation with the Atlanta Braves.
* The Rocky Mount Pines join the league as an expansion team.
* The Alexandria Mariners ended their affiliation with the Seattle Mariners. The team was renamed the Alexandria Dukes.

## Teams

1980 Carolina League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| North | Durham Bulls | Durham, North Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Durham Athletic Park |
| North | Kinston Eagles | Kinston, North Carolina | Toronto Blue Jays | Grainger Stadium |
| North | Rocky Mount Pines | Rocky Mount, North Carolina | None | Municipal Stadium |
| North | Winston-Salem Red Sox | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Boston Red Sox | Ernie Shore Field |
| South | Alexandria Dukes | Alexandria, Virginia | None | Municipal Stadium at Four Mile Run |
| South | Lynchburg Mets | Lynchburg, Virginia | New York Mets | City Stadium |
| South | Peninsula Pilots | Hampton, Virginia | Philadelphia Phillies | War Memorial Stadium |
| South | Salem Pirates | Salem, Virginia | Pittsburgh Pirates | Salem Municipal Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Peninsula Pilots finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1978.
* The Rocky Mount Pines set a league record for losses in a season (114) and lowest winning percentage (.174)
* Playoff berths are based on the winner of each half of the season in each division.

### Standings

North division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Durham Bulls | 84 | 56 | .600 | – |
| Winston-Salem Red Sox | 76 | 64 | .543 | 8 |
| Kinston Eagles | 69 | 69 | .500 | 14 |
| Rocky Mount Pines | 24 | 114 | .174 | 59 |
| South division |||||
| Peninsula Pilots | 100 | 40 | .714 | – |
| Salem Pirates | 79 | 60 | .568 | 20.5 |
| Lynchburg Mets | 71 | 68 | .511 | 28.5 |
| Alexandria Dukes | 54 | 86 | .386 | 46 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Wil Culmer, Peninsula Pilots | .370 |
| H | Wil Culmer, Peninsula Pilots | 184 |
| R | Wil Culmer, Peninsula Pilots | 112 |
| 2B | John Csyfalvay, Lynchburg Mets | 30 |
| 3B | Bienvenido DeLaRosa, Salem Pirates | 15 |
| HR | Craig Brooks, Winston-Salem Red Sox | 24 |
| RBI | Julio Franco, Peninsula Pilots | 99 |
| SB | Albert Hall, Durham Bulls | 100 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Roy Smith, Peninsula Pilots | 17 |
| ERA | James Wright, Peninsula Pilots | 1.85 |
| CG | Tim Lewis, Alexandria Dukes | 10 |
| SV | Martin Rivas, Winston-Salem Red Sox | 21 |
| SO | Don Carman, Peninsula Pilots | 141 |
| IP | Jay Fredlund, Winston-Salem Red Sox | 211.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Peninsula Pilots won their third Carolina League championship, defeating the Durham Bulls in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Durham | 1 |
| S1 | Peninsula | 3 |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Julio Franco, Peninsula Pilots |
| Pitcher of the Year | Roy Smith, Peninsula Pilots |
| Manager of the Year | Johnny Lipon, Peninsula Pilots |