Redbirds–Sounds rivalry

Memphis and Nashville have fielded several professional baseball teams which have competed in the same leagues since the late 19th century.[1][2] The first meeting between Nashville and Memphis clubs occurred in 1885 when the Memphis Reds, their city's second professional team, played in the original Southern League along with the Nashville Americans, their city's first professional team.[1][2] In 1886, the Americans faced competition in the Memphis Grays.[1][2] For the 1887 season, the cities' Southern League entries were the Memphis Browns and Nashville Blues.[1][2] The Nashville Tigers contended with the Memphis Fever Germs in 1893 and the Memphis Giants/Lambs in 1894.[1][2] The dual-named Memphis club opposed the Nashville Seraphs in 1895.[1][2] From 1901 to 1960, the Nashville Vols were members of the Southern Association with the Memphis Egyptians (1901–1908), Turtles (1909–1911), and Chickasaws (1912–1960).[1][2]

Several Negro league teams from the two cities played in the Negro Southern League. The Memphis Red Sox and Nashville White Sox were members of the circuit from 1920 to 1922.[3] In 1926 and from 1930 to 1932 and 1935 to 1936, the Red Sox faced off against the Nashville Elite Giants.[3] The Nashville Cubs competed with the Memphis Blues in 1947 and the Red Sox in 1950.[3]

The Nashville Sounds entered the cross-state rivalry in 1978 when they and the Memphis Chicks joined the Double-A Southern League as expansion teams playing in its Western Division.[4] Sounds president Larry Schmittou and Chicks general manager Art Clarkson looked for every opportunity to provoke controversy between the clubs and their fans.[5] The teams regularly figured in the championship playoffs from 1979 to 1981 with the Chicks winning the first half of each season and the Sounds winning the second halves, often finishing first and second ahead of the other.[6][7] Nashville emerged as champions of the Western Division in 1979 and 1981, while Memphis won in 1980.[8]

The 1981 season was particularly heated. Memphis won the first half by three-and-a-half games over second-place Nashville.[9] At the Southern League All-Star Game, held just weeks later in Memphis, Sounds All-Stars Don Mattingly and Jamie Werly were greeted with boos during player introductions.[10] With the Sounds winning the second half, the teams met in the Western Division series for the third consecutive year.[11] In game one of the series in Memphis, a reversed call in the ninth inning in favor of Nashville resulted in a lengthy argument between Memphis coach Ray Crowley and the home plate umpire. Crowely was ejected and Chicks manager Larry Bearnarth played the rest of the game under protest. Memphis fans responded by throwing cups of ice and beer cans at Sounds players who had to be restrained from climbing over the dugout into the stands.[12] The Sounds swept the Chicks, 3–0, to win the division title.[8]

The rivalry was interrupted when the Sounds moved to the Triple-A American Association in 1985.[2] Briefly, from 1993 to 1994, the Chicks competed against the Nashville Xpress, a displaced Southern League team who shared a ballpark with the Sounds.[1][2]

The Sounds versus the Redbirds at First Tennessee Park on May 6, 2019

The Nashville Sounds joined the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL) in 1998 following the disbandment of the American Association after the 1997 campaign.[13] That same season, the Memphis Redbirds were created as a PCL expansion franchise.[14] Owing to their geographic proximity, both clubs were members of the same divisions throughout their PCL membership: the American Conference Eastern Division (1998–2004),[15] American Conference Northern Division (2005–2013),[16] American Conference Southern Division (2014–2018),[17] and American Conference Northern Division (2019–2020).[18]

The first game between the Sounds and Redbirds was played on May 17, 1998, at Memphis' Tim McCarver Stadium with 5,382 people in attendance.[19][20] In the top of the fourth inning, Nashville's Mark Smith hit a single that scored Jeff Patzke and Chad Hermansen to give the Sounds a 2–0 lead. Smith drove in Patzke and Hermansen again in the sixth with a double and later came home on a Freddy García base hit, making the score 5–0. Memphis scored two runs in the eighth inning and one in the ninth but lost to Nashville, 5–3.[20] Sounds starting pitcher Jimmy Anderson earned the win, Redbirds starter Clint Weibl took the loss, and Jeff McCurry was credited with a save.[19] The Sounds won the initial 1998 series against the Redbirds, 10–6.[21]

Late in the 1999 season, Nashville and the Oklahoma RedHawks were in a race for the division title, but a 1–3 road trip in Memphis to close the season eliminated the Sounds from playoff contention.[22][23] The clubs tied the season series, 8–8.[21] An 18–1 Redbirds rout over the Sounds on July 30, 2000, at Nashville's Herschel Greer Stadium is the largest margin of victory between the teams.[24] Memphis scored in every inning but the sixth and eighth while limiting the home team to one run on three hits. Brian Johnson led the Redbirds with five runs batted in (RBIs), and Stubby Clapp went 4–4 at the plate and came around to score four runs.[24] Memphis won the 2000 series, 8–7.[21]

Stubby Clapp went 4–4 in an 18–1 Redbirds win on July 30, 2000, their largest victory over the Sounds.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the Redbirds and Sounds were chosen to play in the Minor League Baseball Centennial Game at the new AutoZone Park in Memphis on April 4, 2001.[25] Both teams and the four-man umpiring crew wore early 20th century throwback uniforms.[26] Memphis took a 2–0 lead when Kerry Robinson drove in Keith McDonald and Stubby Clapp on a two-run single in the third inning. Nashville's Humberto Cota tied the game in the seventh with a two-run home run, but Luis Saturria hit a go-ahead leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning to seal the Memphis victory, 3–2, before a home crowd of 15,776.[27] Jason Karnuth was the winning pitcher, Jerry Spradlin earned the save, and Dave Pavlas took the loss.[27] Despite losing the season opener, Nashville won the 2001 series, 10–6, and went on to win the two subsequent seasons, 11–5 and 9–7.[21] Memphis came back to win the 2004 series, 9–7.[21]

From August 13 to September 1, 2005, the Redbirds won six consecutive meetings against the Sounds, their longest head-to-head winning streak.[28] By the season's end, the teams had tied the series, 8–8.[21] The Sounds experienced their longest winning streak against the Redbirds when they won nine games in a row from July 4 to August 24, 2006.[29] In the July 15 game played during that stretch, Sounds hurlers Carlos Villanueva (6 IP), Mike Meyers (2 IP), and Alec Zumwalt (1 IP) combined to pitch a no-hitter against the Redbirds at Greer Stadium.[30] The trio, who struck out 11 batters, was aided offensively by a Nelson Cruz RBI single in the first inning and a Brent Abernathy solo home run in the sixth.[30] Nashville won the season series, 10–6, and repeated by winning the 2007 series, 11–5.[21] Memphis won the 2008 schedule, 10–6.[21] In 2009, the American Northern Division title race came down to the last week of competition, with the Redbirds, Sounds, and Iowa Cubs vying for first place.[31] In the end, Memphis won the division, finishing just two games ahead of Nashville.[32] The Sounds, though finishing second, won the rivalry season series, 10–6.[21] Nashville also won the 2010 series, 9–7, but Memphis won 10–6 in 2011.[21]

In 2012, the rivalry was incorporated into a promotion between the teams dubbed the I-40 Cup Series. The name referred to the cities being connected by a stretch of Interstate 40. Whichever of the two teams won the most games played between them was declared the winner and received a trophy cup to keep until the next season. The losing team donated game tickets to a charity selected by the winner. In the event of a season series tie, the previous season's winner remained champion. The Sounds won the first I-40 Cup, 9–7.[33] Memphis won the 2013 cup, 9–7, and retained the two subsequent cups by virtue of tying, 8–8, in 2014 and 2015.[33] The trophy cup, friendly wager, and promotional references to the series were discontinued after the 2015 season.[33]

Jett Bandy collected four RBI in a 17–11 Sounds win on June 26, 2019, the highest-scoring game of the rivalry.

Memphis won the 2014 American Southern Division title by just two-and-a-half games over the second-place Sounds.[17] The clubs tied the head-to-head series, 8–8, as they also did in 2015 and 2016.[21] The 2016 Sounds clinched the division title in Memphis with a 5–3 win.[34] With Matt Chapman and Renato Núñez on base, Matt McBride scored the winning run with a three-run homer in the fourth.[35] The most lopsided Sounds win occurred on June 15 of that season, when they defeated the Redbirds, 16–3, at the new First Tennessee Park in Nashville.[36] The Sounds sent 13 batters to the plate in the third inning resulting in 8 runs. The offense was led by Andrew Lambo, who went 5–4 and collected 5 RBI.[37]

In 2017, the Redbirds clinched the division in Nashville with a 12–7 victory.[38] This time, the winning run was scored by former Sound Rangel Ravelo via a seventh inning home run.[39] The Redbirds, who finished 22 games ahead of second-place Nashville,[40] won the season series, 8–6.[21] The Redbirds again defeated the Sounds in Memphis to win the 2018 division title, 4–3.[41] Down 3–2 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and two runners on base, Wilfredo Tovar singled on a ground ball to Dustin Fowler in center field scoring Edmundo Sosa to tie the game. On the same play, a fielding error by Fowler allowed Lane Thomas to advance home for the walk-off win.[42] Nashville again wound up in second place, 11 games out of first,[43] but won the season series, 9–7.[21] The June 26, 2019, game at AutoZone Park is the highest-scoring game in the rivalry's history as the teams combined to score 28 runs.[44] Each Memphis batter had at least one hit; Randy Arozarena led his team with three, and Andrew Knizner drove in four runs.[44] Nashville's Carlos Tocci and Jett Bandy each collected four RBI in the 17–11 Sounds victory.[44] Nashville won the 2019 series, 9–7.[45]

The first eight games of the 2020 series were postponed indefinitely because of a delayed start to the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[46][47] The season was ultimately cancelled on June 30.[48] Following the 2020 season, Major League Baseball assumed control of Minor League Baseball in a move to increase player salaries, modernize facility standards, and reduce travel. The Redbirds and Sounds were placed in the Southeastern Division of the newly created Triple-A East.[49] In 2021, the teams were initially scheduled to meet 24 times across four 6-game series.[50] However, Opening Day was pushed back a month to temporarily eliminate commercial air travel and give players the opportunity to be vaccinated before the season began.[51] This resulted in the reduction of the 2021 rivalry series to 18 games.[52] The teams played their first head-to-head game in the new league on May 11 at Nashville's renamed First Horizon Park in which the visiting Redbirds defeated the Sounds, 18–6.[53] The 2021 rivalry series resulted in a tie at nine wins each.[54]

In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as the International League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization,[55] and both teams were realigned into its Western Division.[56] First Horizon Park's single-game attendance record of 12,409 people was set during a game between the Sounds and Redbirds on July 16, 2022.[57] Nashville won the 2022 series, 12–9,[58] and the 2023 series, 13–5.[59] The clubs are scheduled to meet 24 times in 2024, with 15 games in Memphis and 9 games in Nashville.[60]

Over 23 years of membership in the Pacific Coast League, the Redbirds won more games than the Sounds in both the regular-season and postseason and captured more titles.[61][62][63][64] Nashville, however, has a better regular-season and postseason record after three years in the Triple-A East / International League in addition to having won more titles.[65][66][67][68] Through all 26 seasons of the rivalry, Nashville leads Memphis in regular-season wins, while Memphis leads in postseason wins and titles.

As of the completion of the 2023 rivalry series, Nashville leads the 26-year series with a record of 220–186 (.542). The Sounds have won 13 season series, the Redbirds have won 6, and the teams have tied in 6 seasons. Nashville's longest season-series winning streak is three consecutive winning seasons (2001–2003), while Memphis has not won any seasons consecutively. The most lopsided season occurred in 2023 when the Sounds won by an eight-victory margin (13–5).

Notes