page_title: History of the Nashville Sounds
section_title: Chicago White Sox (1993–1997)
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Nashville Sounds / American Association / Chicago White Sox (1993–1997)
caption_attribution_description: This is the guiter-shaped scoreboard in the outfield of Greer Stadium for the Nashville Sounds. This picture was taken during the playoffs before they won the PCL Championship (taken on September 10, 2005).
context_page_description: The Nashville Sounds Minor League Baseball team was established in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1978, after Larry Schmittou and a group of investors purchased the rights to operate an expansion franchise of the Double-A Southern League. The Sounds played their home games at Herschel Greer Stadium from its opening in 1978 until the end of the 2014 season. In 2015, the Sounds left Greer for First Tennessee Park, now known as First Horizon Park, a new facility located on the site of the historic Sulphur Dell ballpark, home to Nashville's minor league teams from 1885 to 1963.
  The Sounds led all of Minor League Baseball in attendance in their inaugural season and continued to draw the Southern League's largest crowds in each of their seven years as members of the league. On the field, the team won six consecutive second half titles from 1979 to 1984 and won the Southern League championship twice: in 1979 as the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and again in 1982 as the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.
context_section_description: At the recommendation of the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball and with few options available, the Sounds signed a new player development contract with the Chicago White Sox, who wanted to move their Triple-A farm club closer to home than its previous location in Vancouver. The White Sox then presented a list of complaints about the relatively poor condition of Greer Stadium. Schmittou was unable to convince Mayor Phil Bredesen or the Metro Council to fund a new stadium to replace Greer. He considered moving the team to a surrounding county, and explored sites in La Vergne, Cool Springs, and Mount Juliet. He even tried, unsuccessfully, to get the Metro Council to pass a referendum to let taxpayers vote on a temporary tax increase to pay off a proposed $40 million stadium in three years. In the end, Schmittou elected to keep the Sounds at Greer but make significant improvements to the player dressing room and field. Another upgrade was the addition of Greer's signature guitar-shaped scoreboard, which was installed in 1993.
  In their first year with the White Sox, the Sounds clinched the Eastern Division title with an 81–62 record earning them an opportunity to play for the American Association championship. Down 3–1 in the best-of-seven series versus the Iowa Cubs, the Sounds won two elimination games to force a game seven. In the final game, Nashville held a 2–1 lead from the third inning to the seventh before the Cubs tied the game necessitating extra innings. An eleventh-inning walk-off home run by Iowa's Tuffy Rhodes ended the game and Nashville's title run in a four-games-to-three series loss. Nashville's Rick Renick was named the American Association Manager of the Year.
  The Sounds shared Greer Stadium with the Southern League's Nashville Xpress, previously known as the Charlotte Knights, during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. This came about when Charlotte acquired a Triple-A expansion franchise in 1993, leaving the city's Double-A team without a home. Schmittou offered Greer as a temporary home ballpark for the team. To accommodate an additional club at Greer, the Xpress' home games were scheduled for during the Sounds' road trips. In 1995, the Xpress relocated to Wilmington, North Carolina, and became the Port City Roosters.
  An exhibition game against the White Sox was planned for April 3, 1994, but was cancelled due to wet grounds and the possibility of player injury. The Sounds were able to host the 1994 Triple-A All-Star Game at Greer on July 13 with 11,601 people in attendance. Nashville's Rick Renick managed the team of American League affiliated All-Stars which included Sounds Ray Durham, Drew Denson, Scott Ruffcorn, and Steve Schrenk. The team of National League affiliated All-Stars defeated the Americans, 8–5. Durham, who had three hits in three at bats and scored the game's first run, was selected as the game's MVP from the American Association. Denson participated in the previous day's Home Run Derby, but was defeated in the final round by Scott Coolbaugh of the Louisville Redbirds, six home runs to two.
  The Sounds completed the 1994 season under Renick with an 83–61 record, placing them in second. The American Association had moved away from a divisional alignment to one wherein the top four teams qualified for the championship playoffs that season. In the first round, Nashville swept the New Orleans Zephyrs in three games to advance to the league finals. In the best-of-five championship series, the Indianapolis Indians defeated the Sounds, 3–1. Scott Ruffcorn, who led the American Association with 15 wins, was selected as its Most Valuable Pitcher for 1994.
  Nashville compiled a 68–76 record, 20 games out of first place, in 1995. Originally, Michael Jordan, who played with the White Sox's Double-A Birmingham Barons in 1994, was slotted to play the 1995 season as a non-drafted free agent for the Sounds. However, with the ongoing MLB strike, Jordan decided to quit the sport rather than becoming a replacement player and being labeled a strikebreaker. The team improved their record in 1996, ending up at 77–
caption: Greer Stadium's guitar scoreboard was installed prior to the 1993 season.
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