Wrapping up their final series of the year, the Memphis Redbirds relied on the long ball to take care of the Durham Bulls 8-0 on September 21 and 8-6 on Sept. 22.
On Saturday, the Redbirds held their annual Grizzlies Day. In observance of Grizzlies Day at AutoZone Park, the first 5,000 fans received commemorative Memphis Grizzlies themed Redbird's jerseys. Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard signed autographs and threw out the first pitch.
The scoring was broken open in the bottom of the first by center fielder Victor Scott II, scoring from third on a single from second baseman César Prieto.
After a slow paced first inning of work, Thompson got to work, striking out the side in his second inning of work.
Later on in the bottom of the third, right fielder Matt Koperniak hit his 20th home run of the season on a fly ball out to left that barely got out over the fence. Koperniak has driven in 73 runs on the season for the Redbirds and finished in second place in Triple-A for batting average at .309. His counterpart this week, Bulls center fielder Jake Magnum (.315 Average), won the batting title.
The game would remain 2-0 until the bottom of the fifth, where a bases-loaded walk drawn by first baseman Chandler Redmond scored the third run for the Redbirds. However, the highlight of the night would come the at bat right after, as shortstop Arquímedes Gamboa hit a towering grand slam to right center field, his fourth homer of the season. The Venezuela native finished 2 for 4 with four runs driven in after dealing with injuries for most of the season.
Connor Thomas got the ball for the Redbirds in relief in the seventh inning. Zack Thompson’s final line was six innings pitched, three hits allowed, four strikeouts with only two walks surrendered, and no runs allowed. He improved his record to 4-6 and will finish the season with a 4.40 ERA.
Designated hitter Nolan Gorman added a two-out solo home run (7th of the year in AAA) in the bottom of the 8th to give the Redbirds their 8th run.
Thomas went the rest of the way, pitching three almost-perfect innings in relief only surrendering a hit and racking two strikeouts on his way to his third save of the year. Through 90.1 innings this season in Triple-A, Thomas posted a 2.89 ERA with 79 strikeouts.
During the game, a game-worn jersey auction was held. Fans got the opportunity to bid on jerseys and get the chance to meet the athletes on the field after the game to get their merchandise autographed.
The Redbirds, who missed the playoffs, finished with a .500 record after their win in their final game of the season against the Bulls on Sunday, 8-6.
This is the team’s first season at the .500 mark or better since 2018, and the team provided plenty of support for the big-league St. Louis Cardinals. Players like Luken Baker, Jordan Walker, Thomas Saggese, and Michael McGreevy all spent significant chunks of the season with the Redbirds.
