Nashville Sounds

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Overview[edit]

The Nashville Sounds, of the Triple-A International League, briefly in Triple-A East, and formerly of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, are the second franchise operating under that name in a third different league. The Milwaukee Brewers farmhands play their home games at First Horizon Park in Nashville, TN.

Vanderbilt University baseball coach Larry Schmittou, first Sounds General Manager Farrell Owens, and country music stars Conway Twitty, Jerry Reed, and Richard Sterban founded the original Sounds in 1978. They then played in the Double-A Southern League through 1984, setting the circuit's season attendance record in 1980 after topping all of Minor League Baseball in their debut season with 380,159.

Nashville reached Triple-A status in 1985, when Schmittou's group bought bought and moved the Evansville Triplets of the American Association and moving their SL franchise to Huntsville, AL. After the 1997 campaign, the Association disappeared as Triple-A consolidated into two leagues for the second time - a move that put Nashville into the PCL as its easternmost location.

Just a year before, Schmittou's group sold controlling interest of the Triple-A franchise. Schmittou did not think the team could continue to be profitable as major-league sports moved into the city. Nashville had mounted a serious drive to get the NHL's New Jersey Devils to move there in 1995, and effective in 1998 landed both the NFL's transient Houston Oilers and the NHL expansion Nashville Predators.

The 2021 Sounds were the first of the brand to lead the minors in attendance as a Triple-A club. While Coronavirus pandemic-spurred varying crowd limits might render those figures less relevant, the 2022 club followed up with another minors-topping 555,576.

MLB's 2021 Minor League Reorganization moved the Sounds from the PCL to Triple-A East, which was actually the International League that existed at the end of the Affiliated Era and which would resume the IL name in 2022, but with 20 rather than 14 teams.

Despite a bitter 2014 break-up, that reshuffle also returned the Sounds to the Brewers. The Brew Crew originally took on the Sounds after the Pittsburgh Pirates dropped them over the condition of Greer Stadium, but 10 years later the Sounds dropped the Brewers just as they finally moved into their new playpen.

The future of the franchise may be unsettled as the city of Nashville appears on the verge of stepping up another level: into MLB. Baseball has wanted to expand to 32 teams for years but put that on hold until stadium-based problems with the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays are solved - and both making progress.

Today's Sounds play Copa de la Diversión Hispanic engagement campaign games as Vihuelas de Nashville (a vihuela is a guitar-like string instrument that originated in Spain).

Southern League[edit]

The original Nashville Sounds began play in the Southern League when it expanded in 1978. The Sounds and Memphis Chicks actually replaced two Canadian franchises the Eastern League had just contracted - the Quebec Metros, who were replaced by the Chicks, and the Trois-Rivières Aigles, who were replaced by the Sounds.

This returned affiliated baseball to the Music City for the first time since the Nashville Vols folded after the 1963 campaign. Playing in Greer Stadium, which had been built for just $1 million with mostly volunteer and donated resources, the Cincinnati Reds' farm club led the league in attendance in its first season, won a championship in its second, and in its third set a Southern League season attendance record - 585,686 - that still stands.

Also that year, 1980, they joined the New York Yankees' farm system. In five years with the Yanks, they won another title in 1982 and featured future big leaguers Don Mattingly, Willie McGee, Otis Nixon, Steve Balboni and Jim Deshaies.

During the 1984 season, Schmittou bought the Evansville Triplets of the American Association and moved that franchise to Nashville to bring Triple-A ball to the Music City. Schmittou originally planned to swap the teams' locations, but Evansville declined to improve its aging stadium. Instead, the former Southern League Sounds moved to Huntsville, AL to make room for Nashville to assume Triple-A status in 1985.

American Association[edit]

After spending their first two Triple-A seasons as a Detroit Tigers' affiliate, the Sounds rejoined the Reds in 1987. In their six years with Cincinnati, they reached the league championship series once (1990, the same season the Reds last won a World Series) but fell short in their quest for a title. They and the visiting Indianapolis Indians had the extremely rare experience of playing in consecutive no-hitters: On August 6, 1988, Indy starting pitcher Randy Johnson - just 40 days from his big-league debut - gave up an unearned run in the 1st inning that would leave him on the wrong end of a 1-0 score even though he and Pat Pacillo combined to hold the Sounds hitless. On August 7th, Jack Armstrong - less than two months after his Reds debut but also less than a year after being drafted - threw a complete-game no-hitter as the Sounds won, 4-0. The Sounds ended the generally positive partnership because the Reds insisted their pitchers hit even in games using the designated hitter. In 1993, they switched affiliations to the Chicago White Sox. They reached the league championships in their first two years with the club, but, again, lost each time. During five seasons with the ChiSox, the team featured future major leaguers Magglio Ordonez, Ray Durham and James Baldwin, among others.

Pacific Coast League[edit]

After the 1997 season, the American Association ceased operations, with the Sounds among the teams that were moved into the Pacific Coast League. They also again changed parents, joining the Pittsburgh Pirates. Under the Pirates, they mostly struggled on the field but did reach the league championship series in 2003, again finishing as runner-up. Another highlight that year was pitcher John Wasdin throwing a perfect game on April 7th against the Albuquerque Isotopes. They moved to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2005. In their first year with the Brewers, led by top prospects Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart and Nelson Cruz (who was named the playoff MVP), they won the PCL title, giving Nashville its first championship in over two decades. They made the playoffs again in 2006, with one of the best regular-season records in the minors, but following devastating September call-ups were swept in the first round. In 2007, Manny Parra, one of the most coveted draft-and-follow players ever signed, threw a perfect game for the Sounds. They were scheduled to move into a new downtown ballpark to be called First Tennessee Field in 2008, but due to problems with financing and design plans, the deal fell through. Years later, a deal came together and a stadium of that name - but now First Horizon Park - opened in 2015. It may become a victim of its own success, if that success is contributing to what has become a credible effort to bring MLB to Nashville.

Triple-A East[edit]

With the Minor League Reorganization following the cancelled 2020 season, Nashville changed leagues again, joining the Triple-A East section of the Professional Development League, which was composed mostly of former International League teams. However, as geographic considerations were paramount, Nashville and a few other teams were moved to the eastern component of the new structure.

Year-by-Year Record[edit]

Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs Hitting Coach Pitching Coach Coach
1978 64-77 9th Chuck Goggin
1979 83-61 2nd George Scherger League Champs
1980 97-46 1st Stump Merrill Lost in 1st round Ed Napoleon Pat Dobson
1981 81-62 1st Stump Merrill Lost League Finals Ed Napoleon Pat Dobson
1982 77-67 2nd Johnny Oates League Champs Ed Napoleon Hoyt Wilhelm
1983 88-58 2nd Doug Holmquist Lost in 1st round Jim Saul Hoyt Wilhelm
1984 74-73 5th Jim Marshall Lost in 1st round Jim Saul Hoyt Wilhelm
1985 71-70 5th Lee Walls (3-4); Leon Roberts (2-5); Gordie MacKenzie (66-61)
1986 68-74 6th Leon Roberts
1987 64-76 7th Jack Lind Wayne Garland
1988 73-69 4th Jack Lind (38-39); Wayne Garland (1-2); Jim Hoff (12-10);
George Scherger (0-1); Frank Lucchesi (22-17)
Wayne Garland
1989 74-72 4th Frank Lucchesi Ray Rippelmeyer
1990 86-61 2nd Pete Mackanin Lost League Finals Ray Rippelmeyer
1991 65-78 6th Pete Mackanin Jim Lett Don Gullett
1992 67-77 6th (tie) Pete Mackanin (35-41); Dave Miley (32-36) Jim Lett Frank Funk
1993 81-62 2nd Rick Renick Lost League Finals Roger LaFrancois Rick Peterson
1994 83-61 2nd Rick Renick Lost League Finals Roger LaFrancois Rick Peterson
1995 68-76 6th Rick Renick Roger LaFrancois Don Cooper / [[]]
1996 77-67 4th Rick Renick Roger LaFrancois Don Cooper
1997 74-69 3rd (t) Tom Spencer Von Joshua Kirk Champion
1998 67-76 12th Trent Jewett Richie Hebner Bruce Tanner
1999 80-60 4th Trent Jewett Richie Hebner Bruce Tanner
2000 63-79 13th Trent Jewett (29-28); Richie Hebner (34-51) Richie Hebner / Dave Clark Jim Bibby
2001 64-77 13th Marty Brown Jeff Livesey Darold Knowles
2002 72-71 8th (tie) Marty Brown Curtis Wilkerson Darold Knowles
2003 81-62 2nd Trent Jewett Lost League Finals Jay Loviglio Darold Knowles
2004 63-79 14th Trent Jewett Jeff Livesey Darold Knowles
2005 75-69 6th Frank Kremblas League Champs Gary Pettis Stan Kyles
2006 76-68 1st Frank Kremblas Lost in 1st round Gary Pettis Stan Kyles
2007 89-55 1st Frank Kremblas Lost in 1st round Harry Spilman Stan Kyles
2008 59-81 16th Frank Kremblas Harry Spilman Stan Kyles
2009 75-69 5th Don Money Sandy Guerrero Chris Bosio/Jim Rooney
2010 77-67 5th Don Money Sandy Guerrero Rich Gale
2011 71-73 6th (t) Don Money Sandy Guerrero Rich Gale/Bill Castro/Chris Bosio
2012 67-77 12th Mike Guerrero Al LeBoeuf Fred Dabney
2013 57-87 16th Mike Guerrero Bob Skube Fred Dabney
2014 77-67 5th Rick Sweet Bob Skube Fred Dabney
2015 66-78 12th Steve Scarsone Webster Garrison Don Schulze
2016 83-59 1st Steve Scarsone Lost in 1st round Eric Martins Rick Rodriguez
2017 68-71 8th Ryan Christenson Eric Martins Rick Rodriguez
2018 72-68 6th Fran Riordan Eric Martins Rick Rodriguez
2019 66-72 9th Jason Wood Howard Johnson Brian Shouse Éric Gagné Geno Petralli
2020 Season cancelled
2021 63-56 9th Rick Sweet 7-2 Al LeBoeuf Jim Henderson Ned Yost IV
2022 91-58 1st Rick Sweet Lost League Finals Al LeBoeuf Jeremy Accardo Ned Yost IV, Sean Isaac
2023 83-65 4th Rick Sweet Al LeBoeuf Jeremy Accardo Ned Yost IV, Liu Rodriguez. Patrick McGuff

Further Reading[edit]

  • Bill Traughber: Nashville Baseball History: From Sulphur Dell to the Sounds, Summer Game Books, South Orange, NJ, 2017. ISBN 978-1-938545-83-2

External links[edit]