The Carolina League of Minor League Baseball is a Single-A baseball league in the United States that began play in 1945. A league champion was determined at the end of each season by either postseason playoffs or being declared champion by the league office. As of 2019, the first-half and second-half winners in each division (Northern and Southern) competed in a best-of-five division series. Then, the Northern and Southern division winners played a best-of-five series to determine a league champion.[1]
The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[2] and the league ceased operations before the 2021 season in conjunction with Major League Baseball's (MLB) reorganization of Minor League Baseball.[3] In place of the Carolina League, MLB created the Low-A East, a 12-team circuit divided into three divisions.[4] Prior to the 2022 season, MLB renamed the Low-A Easr as the Carolina League, and it carried on the history of the league prior to reorganization.[5] In 2021, the Low-A East held a best-of-five series between the top two teams in the league, regardless of division standings, to determine a league champion.[6] As of 2022, the winners of each division from both the first and second halves of the season meet in a best-of-three division series, with the winners of the two division series meeting in a best-of-three championship series.[7]