page_title: Memphis Redbirds
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Memphis Redbirds / History
caption_attribution_description: P. J. Walters
context_page_description: The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbirds play their home games at AutoZone Park, which opened in 2000 and is located in Downtown Memphis. The team previously played at Tim McCarver Stadium in 1998 and 1999.
  The Redbirds were established as a PCL expansion team in 1998. A total of eight managers have led the club and its more than 500 players. As of the cancellation of the 2020 season, the Redbirds have played in 3,140 regular season games and compiled a win–loss record of 1,583–1,557. Memphis has qualified for the postseason on six occasions and won the Pacific Coast League championship in 2000, 2009, 2017, and 2018. The Redbirds won the Triple-A National Championship Game in 2018. They have a postseason record of 29–20.
context_section_description: The Memphis Redbirds were created as an expansion franchise of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 1998. Initially, the team was owned as a non-profit community entity called the Memphis Redbirds Baseball Foundation, which operated the Redbirds until 2009 when management was turned over to Global Spectrum, a Comcast-owned company. While a new ballpark, AutoZone Park, was constructed for the team, they played their first two seasons (1998–99) at the city's Tim McCarver Stadium.
  The Redbirds became the top minor league affiliate of the Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. Memphis' team name, logo, color scheme, and uniforms were all based on those of the St. Louis team. In their inaugural season, the club was managed by Gaylen Pitts. The Redbirds played their first game on the road at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. In game one of the doubleheader, the Omaha Royals defeated the Redbirds, 3–2. The team finished their first season of play with a 74–70 record, three games out of first place, leaving them second out of four teams in their division. They finished the 1999 season in third place with a 74–64 record.
  In 2000, Memphis moved into the newly constructed AutoZone Park. In the park's first regular season game, held on April 14, the Redbirds defeated the Iowa Cubs, 14–3. Memphis went on to clinch the Pacific Coast League's American Conference East Division championship by ending the season in first place, 13​¹⁄₂ games ahead of the second-place Oklahoma RedHawks. In the American Conference series, the Redbirds defeated the Albuquerque Isotopes, three games to two, and advanced to the league finals. Memphis then defeated the Salt Lake Buzz, 3–1, to win the PCL championship. The Redbirds went on to face the Indianapolis Indians, league champions of the Triple-A International League, in the best-of-five Triple-A World Series. Memphis lost, three games to one.
  The team finished each of the next three seasons in fourth place—2001 (62–81), 2002 (71–71), and 2003 (64–79). The 2002 campaign was a particularly tight race within the American Conference East Division, as the fourth-place Redbirds were a mere three games behind first-place Oklahoma. Tom Spencer became manager of the Redbirds in 2013. He was replaced midseason by Danny Sheaffer. Memphis hosted the Triple-A All-Star Game at AutoZone Park in 2003. Players Jason Bowers, Matt Duff, and Jason Ryan represented Memphis, as they were elected to the PCL All-Star Team.
  Pitcher Dan Haren was selected for the 2004 PCL All-Star Team and was chosen as the PCL Star of the Game—the most valuable player representing the league. Memphis ended the 2004 season in second place, eight games behind first-place Oklahoma, with a 73–71 record. The team finished third (71–72) in 2005, ​3 ¹⁄₂ games behind the eventual league champion Nashville Sounds. From 2006 to 2007, Memphis finished further out of first place with records of 58–86 in 2006 and 56–88 in 2007.
  The 2008 season began a reversal of the team's fortunes. Though winding up in second place in 2008, the team, under second-year manager Chris Maloney, managed a second-place finish with their 75–67 record. In 2009, the Redbirds' first-place finish (77–67) earned them the American Conference North Division title and a return to the postseason for the first time in nine seasons. In the American Conference series, Memphis faced the Albuquerque Isotopes, sweeping them in three-straight games. They continued to also defeat the Sacramento River Cats, 3–0, in the finals to win their second PCL championship. They then competed against the International League's Durham Bulls in the Bricktown Showdown for the Triple-A National Championship, but were defeated in the single game, 5–4.
  Having finished the 2010 season in a tie for first place with the Iowa Cubs (82–62), Memphis was awarded the American Conference North title by virtue of having won the regular season series against Iowa. Memphis started the postseason by defeating the Oklahoma City RedHawks, 3–0, to win the American Conference championship. The Tacoma Rainiers th
caption: P. J. Walters, Redbirds pitcher from 2008 to 2011, is the team's all-time leader in wins (32), strikeouts (428), and games started (78).[30]
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