NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Memphis Redbirds are the 2017 Pacific Coast League American Southern Division champions and are headed to the playoffs after a 12-7 win over the Nashville Sounds (Athletics) Sunday night in Nashville.
The playoffs will begin at AutoZone Park on Wednesday, Sept. 6 and Thursday, Sept. 7. Playoff tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.memphisredbirds.com/playoffs. Fans can see all four potential home playoff games for the price of two, and there will be $2 beers all playoffs long. The first 5,000 fans at the games on the 6th and 7th receive a free new-logo Redbirds hat.
The playoff trip will be Memphis’ fifth in franchise history, alongside 2000, 2009, 2010, and 2014. The Redbirds went on to win the PCL Championship in both 2000 and 2009.
Memphis improves to 80-41 with the win, a season-high 39 games over .500, and the Redbirds are three wins from tying the 2000 club for the most wins in franchise history at 83.
The Redbirds are winning the division by 22.5 games, and since divisions were established in the PCL in 1963, only two teams have won their division by 20 or more games (1970 Spokane Indians, 26.0 games; 1981 Albuquerque Dukes, 25.0 games).
To help secure the championship, Alex Mejia was 4-for-6 with three RBI and two runs scored, and Rangel Ravelo and Patrick Wisdom each had three hits. All of Wisdom’s hits were doubles, and he drove in two runs. Ravelo homered, as did Tyler O’Neill. Memphis had eight extra-base hits in the game.
After the finale in Nashville tonight at 7:05, the two clubs head to Memphis for four more games Tuesday–Friday. Memphis also plays New Orleans (Marlins) on this upcoming eight-game homestand.
