# 1989 Southern League season

The 1989 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 7 and August 31. Ten teams played a 144-game schedule, with the top team in each division in each half of the season qualifying for the post-season.
The Birmingham Barons won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Greenville Braves in the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Columbus Astros are renamed to the Columbus Mudcats. The club remained affiliated with the Houston Astros.
* The Charlotte Knights ended their affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles and began a new affiliation with the Chicago Cubs.

## Teams

1989 Southern League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East | Charlotte Knights | Charlotte, North Carolina | Chicago Cubs | Knights Castle |
| East | Columbus Mudcats | Columbus, Georgia | Houston Astros | Golden Park |
| East | Greenville Braves | Greenville, South Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Greenville Municipal Stadium |
| East | Jacksonville Expos | Jacksonville, Florida | Montreal Expos | Wolfson Park |
| East | Orlando Twins | Orlando, Florida | Minnesota Twins | Tinker Field |
| West | Birmingham Barons | Birmingham, Alabama | Chicago White Sox | Hoover Metropolitan Stadium |
| West | Chattanooga Lookouts | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Cincinnati Reds | Engel Stadium |
| West | Huntsville Stars | Huntsville, Alabama | Oakland Athletics | Joe W. Davis Stadium |
| West | Knoxville Blue Jays | Knoxville, Tennessee | Toronto Blue Jays | Bill Meyer Stadium |
| West | Memphis Chicks | Memphis, Tennessee | Kansas City Royals | Tim McCarver Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Birmingham Barons finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1983.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Orlando Twins | 79 | 65 | .549 | – |
| Greenville Braves | 70 | 69 | .504 | 6.5 |
| Columbus Mudcats | 71 | 72 | .497 | 7.5 |
| Charlotte Knights | 70 | 73 | .490 | 8.5 |
| Jacksonville Expos | 68 | 76 | .472 | 11 |
| West Division |||||
| Birmingham Barons | 88 | 55 | .615 | – |
| Huntsville Stars | 82 | 61 | .573 | 6 |
| Knoxville Blue Jays | 67 | 76 | .469 | 21 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 58 | 81 | .417 | 28 |
| Memphis Chicks | 59 | 84 | .413 | 29 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Scott Leius, Orlando Twins | .303 |
| H | Craig Grebeck, Birmingham Barons | 153 |
| R | Rich Amaral, Birmingham Barons | 90 |
| 2B | Paul Sorrento, Orlando Twins | 35 |
| 3B | Jerome Nelson, Chattanooga Lookouts | 13 |
| HR | Eric Anthony, Columbus Mudcats | 28 |
| RBI | Paul Sorrento, Orlando Twins | 112 |
| SB | C. L. Penigar, Birmingham Barons | 64 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Laddie Renfroe, Charlotte Knights | 19 |
| ERA | Pete Delkus, Orlando Twins | 1.87 |
| CG | Grady Hall, Birmingham Barons | 9 |
| SHO | Howard Farmer, Jacksonville Expos Greg Kallevig, Charlotte Knights Darryl Kile, Columbus Mudcats Doug Linton, Knoxville Blue Jays Dale Polley, Greenville Braves Woody Williams, Knoxville Blue Jays Ray Young, Huntsville Stars | 2 |
| SV | Joe Klink, Huntsville Stars | 26 |
| IP | Grady Hall, Birmingham Barons | 190.2 |
| SO | Shawn Boskie, Charlotte Knights | 164 |

## Playoffs

* The Birmingham Barons won their fourth Southern League championship, defeating the Greenville Braves in three games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Orlando | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Greenville | '3 | | | |
| E2 | Greenville | '3 | E2 | Greenville | 0 |
| | | | W1 | Birmingham | 3 |
| W1 | Birmingham | 3 | W1 | Birmingham | 3 |
| W2 | Huntsville | 1 | | | |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Eric Anthony, Columbus Mudcats |
| Pitcher of the Year | Laddie Renfroe, Charlotte Knights |
| Manager of the Year | Jeff Newman, Huntsville Stars |