Stubby Clapp/Photo by Roger Cotton
AutoZone Park has hosted its share of playoff baseball since opening in 2000. The Memphis Redbirds are headed toward the franchise’s sixth postseason appearance next month. Here’s a quick lesson on Redbirds playoff history, one that includes three Pacific Coast League championships. So far.
2000: 83-61
In AutoZone Park’s inaugural season, manager Gaylen Pitts and a certain backflipping second-baseman led the Redbirds to their first division title. They rallied to win two games with their season on the line to beat Albuquerque in the opening round of the playoffs then topped Salt Lake, three games to one, to earn the PCL flag. Albert Pujols sliced a line drive just inside the rightfield foul pole in the bottom of the 13th inning of Game 4 to win the championship in walk-off fashion.
Most memorable player: With apologies to the great Pujols (who played a total of 14 games with Memphis), Stubby Clapp was the face of the 2000 Redbirds. Backflips aside, Clapp led the club with 138 hits and 89 runs.
2009: 77-67
This club swept both playoff series, going a perfect 6-0 to clinch the Redbirds’ second PCL title. Memphis scored five runs in the ninth inning of Game 2 to shock Albuquerque in the opening round, a series clinched when David Freese hit a home run for the only scoring in Game 3. Freese homered in another 1-0 Redbirds win in Game 1 of the championship series against Sacramento and Evan MacLane hurled eight shutout innings in the Game 3 clincher.
Most memorable player: Outfielder Allen Craig his .322 with 26 home runs and 83 RBIs to top Memphis in all three categories. Craig was one of five Redbirds from the 2009 team that would also help the St. Louis Cardinals win the 2011 World Series.
2010: 82-62
The Redbirds won 11 of their last 14 games to win their division, then swept Oklahoma City in the opening round of the playoffs. In a scheduling oddity, all five games of the championship series were scheduled to be played at AutoZone Park, as Tacoma’s stadium was undergoing renovations. Sadly for Memphis fans, the Rainiers only needed three games to earn the title. Tacoma hit 11 home runs in the three games, making a Memphis stadium their home park for three nights.
Most memorable player: Lance Lynn won 13 games and led the PCL with 141 strikeouts. Craig drove in 81 runs in just 83 games.
2014: 79-64
For the first time, Memphis reached the playoffs only to be eliminated in the opening round. With key players like Xavier Scruggs and Tyler Lyons promoted by the Cardinals late in the season, the Redbirds fell in four games to the Omaha Storm Chasers. Mike Mayers made just his second Triple-A start in Game 4 for the Redbirds.
Most memorable player: This Redbirds team had an incredible quartet of outielders: Oscar Taveras, Randal Grichuk, Tommy Pham, and Stephen Piscotty. All would reach the major leagues, but Taveras died in a car accident shortly after the season ended and the other three are no longer in the St. Louis system.
2017: 91-50
With Stubby Clapp back as manager, these Redbirds won 91 games in the regular season, the most for any Memphis baseball team since 1948. They went an astonishing 13-0 in extra-inning games and won their division by 22 games. They needed five games to beat Colorado Springs in the opening round and another five to top El Paso for the championship. There were many heroes. Tyler O’Neill hit three home runs in the opening series, Adolis Garcia hit a walk-off homer to win Game 2 of the championship series at AutoZone Park, and Patrick Wisdom earned MVP honors with a two-run shot in the Game 5 clincher at El Paso.
Most memorable player: Wisdom led the club with 31 homers and 89 RBIs and was named to the All-PCL team at season’s end.
AutoZone Park will host Game 3 of the opening round on Friday, September 7th, then Games 4 and 5 if necessary. (Game 3 of the championship series would be played at AZP on September 14th.) For ticket information, visit memphisredbirds.com or call 721-6000.
