# 1946 South Atlantic League season

The 1946 South Atlantic League was a Class A baseball season played between April 17 and September 4. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs.
The Augusta Tigers won the South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Columbia Reds in the final round of the playoffs.

## League changes

* At the end of the 1942 season, the South Atlantic League announced that the league would shutdown due to World War II. The league resumed play in 1946.
* The league was elevated from Class B to Class A beginning in 1946.

## Team changes

* The Columbus Red Birds are renamed to the Columbus Cardinals. The club remained affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals.
* The Augusta Tigers ended their affiliation with the Detroit Tigers and began a new affiliation with the New York Yankees.
* The Greenville Spinners began an affiliation with the Chicago White Sox.
* The Savannah Indians began an affiliation with the Philadelphia Athletics.

## Teams

1946 South Atlantic League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Augusta Tigers | Augusta, Georgia | New York Yankees | Municipal Stadium |
| Charleston Rebels | Charleston, South Carolina | None | College Park |
| Columbia Reds | Columbia, South Carolina | Cincinnati Reds | Capital City Stadium |
| Columbus Cardinals | Columbus, Georgia | St. Louis Cardinals | Golden Park |
| Greenville Spinners | Greenville, South Carolina | Chicago White Sox | Meadowbrook Park |
| Jacksonville Tars | Jacksonville, Florida | New York Giants | Durkee Field |
| Macon Peaches | Macon, Georgia | Chicago Cubs | Luther Williams Field |
| Savannah Indians | Savannah, Georgia | Philadelphia Athletics | Grayson Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Columbus Cardinals finish the season with the best record for the first time since 1939.

### Standings

South Atlantic League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Columbus Cardinals | 79 | 60 | .568 | – |
| Columbia Reds | 78 | 61 | .561 | 1 |
| Greenville Spinners | 76 | 62 | .551 | 2.5 |
| Augusta Tigers | 76 | 63 | .547 | 3 |
| Charleston Rebels | 65 | 75 | .464 | 14.5 |
| Jacksonville Tars | 65 | 75 | .464 | 14.5 |
| Macon Peaches | 61 | 79 | .436 | 18.5 |
| Savannah Indians | 55 | 81 | .404 | 23.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Ted Kluszewski, Columbia Reds | .352 |
| H | Frank Baumholtz, Columbia Reds Frank Boeck, Augusta Tigers | 162 |
| R | Frank Boeck, Augusta Tigers | 103 |
| 2B | Frank Baumholtz, Columbia Reds | 43 |
| 3B | Roy Broome, Columbus Cardinals | 16 |
| HR | Bob Erps, Columbus Cardinals | 16 |
| RBI | Roy Broome, Columbus Cardinals | 99 |
| SB | Roy Hartsfield, Charleston Rebels | 18 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Sheldon Jones, Jacksonville Tars Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers | 19 |
| ERA | Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers | 2.07 |
| CG | Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers | 24 |
| SHO | Matthew Nolan, Greenville Spinners Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers | 5 |
| IP | Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers | 287.0 |
| SO | Dick Starr, Augusta Tigers | 233 |

## Playoffs

* The Augusta Tigers won their fourth South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Columbia Reds in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Columbus | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Augusta | 4 | | | |
| 4 | Augusta | 4 | 4 | Augusta | 4 |
| | | | 2 | Columbia | 0 |
| 2 | Columbia | 4 | 2 | Columbia | 0 |
| 3 | Greenville | 2 | | | |