Photo courtesy Memphis Redbirds
Alex Reyes
Redbirds president and general manager, Craig Unger, was enthusiastic in a press release about the opportunity for the organization to contest the championship in front of a home crowd. “We are thrilled to have the honor of hosting the Triple-A National Championship Game once again at AutoZone Park,” said Unger. “It is exciting to know that if the Redbirds three-peat as PCL champions they would be playing for another Triple-A crown in front of a hometown crowd!”
The Redbirds have been dominant in the PCL, having conquered the league twice in the last two seasons. They fell in the 2017 title match to the Durham Bulls in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but got their revenge the following year with a 14-4 blowout win in Columbus, Ohio.
The game this September will mark the 14th time the PCL and IL have faced off in the single-game format. From 2006 to 2011, the contest was always held at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but since then has rotated through other Triple-A cities. Memphis, which hosted the championship game in 2016, is the first city to repeat as host. If the Redbirds win the PCL for a third straight year, then the team can celebrate the end of its 20th season with the home fans.
