History of the Nashville Sounds

[17] Schmittou looked to local suppliers to donate construction materials, took out a $30,000 loan from a bank, sold season tickets in advance of having a team, and even mortgaged his own home to help pay for the facility.

[28] After falling behind in the first inning, 1–0, Nashville tied the game in the third and went ahead, 2–1, in the top of the sixth on first baseman George Weicker's single which scored center fielder Mickey Duval.

In the bottom of the inning, however, Memphis answered with three unearned runs off of Sounds starting pitcher Bill Dawley and reliever Larry Rothschild, sealing the Nashville loss.

[30] Pitchers Bruce Berenyi and Doug Corbett limited the Chicks to just three hits while catcher Mark Miller drove in a run with a third-inning double and later scored on second baseman Randy Davidson's sacrifice fly.

[18][34] On the field, Sounds catcher Joe Griffin led the 16-hit Nashville offense with 4 hits of his own and 5 runs batted in while starter Bruce Berenyi got the win and closer Doug Corbett earned a save after he retired the last 11 batters in a row.

[43][44] Schmittou and his team developed a promotional calendar that regularly featured giveaways ranging from T-shirts and trading cards to youth baseball equipment and even a player's used 1969 Buick Electra.

In the top of the ninth inning with the game tied 2–2 and the bases loaded, Sounds catcher Dave Van Gorder hit a bases-clearing triple giving his team the lead.

[53] Reliever Geoff Combe struck out the last two batters in the bottom half of the inning on the way to a 6–2 Sounds win,[53] a three-games-to-one series victory, and the Southern League title.

[57] Walker, who hit an RBI single, drew a walk, stole two bases, and initiated a double play from center field by snagging a low line drive and throwing out a runner at home plate, was selected as the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP).

[60] Schmittou had originally been encouraged by the New York Yankees organization to establish the Sounds as a Triple-A team, but he refused to go back on his previous promise to partner with the Reds at Double-A.

[70] Those on hand for the game included Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, coach Yogi Berra, and players Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Lou Piniella, Willie Randolph, and Bobby Murcer.

[79] With two outs in the bottom of the thirteenth inning, outfielder Brian Dayett hit a walk-off home run scoring Buck Showalter and giving the Sounds a 5–3 win.

[86] Among the Yankees in attendance for the game were owner George Steinbrenner, manager Billy Martin, coach Yogi Berra, and players Goose Gossage, Ken Griffey Sr., Dave Winfield, Willie Randolph, Bobby Murcer, and former Sound Don Mattingly.

[98] His desire to land a Triple-A team was part of a larger plan to put Nashville in a position to contend for a Major League Baseball franchise in the future.

With the bases loaded following a walk, an error, and a batter being hit by a pitch, outfielder Bobby Mitchell scored on a passed ball with a head-first slide, and designated hitter Ron Johnson drove in shortstop Pedro Chavez from third on an infield out.

Manager Sparky Anderson's Detroit club included Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Rusty Kuntz, and Larry Herndon of the 1984 World Series champion Tigers.

[109] The 1986 team, managed by former Sounds player Leon Roberts, was enlisted to serve as the competition in the Southern League All-Star Game, held at Huntsville's Joe W. Davis Stadium on July 23.

[60] At the recommendation of the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball and with few options available,[142] 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.

[153] 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.

[175] Overall, Jewett's 1999 team improved from the previous year, putting together an 80–60 record,[176] but a second-place finish left them out of the PCL playoffs, where only division winners advanced to the postseason.

[83] Seeking to place their Triple-A club at a newer, more desirable stadium and to escape the high travel costs associated with playing in the PCL, Pittsburgh ended their affiliation with the Sounds after the 2004 campaign.

[192] The 2005 club, managed by Frank Kremblas, led the American Conference Northern Division for most of the year but only clinched on the penultimate day of the season, having lost 16 of 19 games in late August and September.

[208] Though downtown Des Moines was under a mandatory evacuation, team officials received permission from the city to play the game as long as no fans were allowed into Principal Park.

[212][213] On October 30, 2008, following this failure to secure a new ballpark, Al Gordon's Amerisports Companies agreed to sell the Sounds to MFP Baseball, a New York-based group of investors consisting of Masahiro Honzawa, Steve Posner, and Frank Ward for an estimated $20 million.

[60] Nashville affiliated with the Oakland Athletics in 2015 due in part to the organization's commitment to fielding competitive teams at the Triple-A level, an area in which co-owner Frank Ward felt Milwaukee lacked.

[204] Pitchers Chris Smith, Sean Doolittle, Tucker Healy, and Simón Castro combined to pitch the Sounds' seventh no-hitter on June 7, 2017, against the Omaha Storm Chasers, a 4–0 road win.

[247] Also in 2019, just four years after their previous rebranding, the team debuted new colors and logos which pull together elements from their original visual identity and the musical imagery present throughout their franchise history.

[248] The Sounds also began participation in Copa de la Diversión ("Fun Cup"), an initiative by Minor League Baseball to connect teams with their local Hispanic communities.

Managed by former Sound Chris Woodward, the Texas squad included players Delino DeShields Jr., Nomar Mazara, Hunter Pence, Ronald Guzmán, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and José Leclerc.

[256][257] In light of the cancellation, the Sounds planned to host a series of games between two teams of professional free agents that would have coincided with the condensed 2020 MLB season and served as an emergency player pool for major league clubs.

A red, white, and blue cartoon baseball player swinging at a baseball with a guitar in place of a bat, set against a baseball with "Nashville Sounds" written above in red letters with blue border
The Sounds' original "Slugger" logo, used from 1978 to 1998
A black and white photograph of seventeen men sitting in three rows on the ground. Most are wearing dark coats with high white socks, but two are wearing dark baseball uniforms with a white "N" on the chests; some are wearing fielding gloves, and one is petting a dog.
The 1901 Nashville Baseball Club of the Southern Association
A black and white portrait of a smiling man wearing a suit and tie
Larry Schmittou led the group that purchased a Southern League expansion franchise and financed the construction of its ballpark.
A view from the right-field line of the seating bowl at Greer. Blue seats stretch from the right-field wall, behind home plate, and beyond the third-base dugout.
Herschel Greer Stadium , home of the Sounds for 37 years from 1978 to 2014
A black and white photograph of a baseball game in progress with fans looking on and few empty seats in sight
A game during the 1978 season in which Nashville led all of Minor League Baseball in attendance when 380,000 people attended games at Greer Stadium
A man wearing a red baseball jersey with blue and white trim and a white "20" on the back with a blue cap poses holding a baseball bat with both hands as if ready to swing.
Dave Van Gorder 's three- RBI triple propelled the Sounds to win the 1979 Southern League championship .
A black and white photograph of baseball players in uniforms and caps posed in three rows standing, sitting, and kneeing on a baseball field
The 1980 Sounds set a franchise-best 97–46 record and swept the Southern League awards with Steve Balboni as the MVP , Andy McGaffigan as the ace pitcher , and Stump Merrill as the top manager .
A man in a white baseball uniform with "Sounds" in blue and red across the front of the jersey and a blue cap with a white "N" on the center smiles with his hands together in his glove as if preparing to throw a ball.
Brian Dayett hit a walk-off home run to win the 1982 Southern League title and was selected as the league MVP .
A man wearing a blue baseball jersey with red and white trim, a blue cap with a white "N" on the center, and white pants stands on a baseball field posed with bat, ready to swing.
Bruce Fields drove in the winning run as the Sounds defeated the 1986 Southern League All-Star team.
A man wearing a white baseball uniform with "Sounds" on the chest in blue and red and a blue cap with a white "N" on the center stands on a baseball field with his hands together in his brown leather glove.
Jack Armstrong pitched a no-hitter against the Indianapolis Indians on August 7, 1988, one night after the Indians no-hit the Sounds.
A man wearing a white baseball uniform with "Sounds" on the chest in blue and red and a blue cap with a white "N" on the center poses holding a baseball bat with both hands.
Skeeter Barnes , a Sound in 1979 and from 1988 to 1990, is the team career leader in games played (514), at bats (1,848), and hits (517).
A view of the giant blue guitar-shaped scoreboard beyond the left-center field wall. Advertisements for local businesses adorn the guitar and the green outfield wall below.
Greer Stadium 's guitar scoreboard was installed prior to the 1993 season.
A man wearing a white baseball uniform with a navy blue "L" on the chest, a navy blue cap with a white "L" on the center, and a black glove on his left hand in the midst of pitching a ball
John Wasdin pitched a perfect game for the Sounds on April 7, 2003.
A man wearing a navy blue baseball jersey and batting helmet stands with his bat held back, awaiting a pitch.
Nelson Cruz hit a three-run home run with two outs in the top of the 13th inning to help Nashville win the 2005 PCL championship .
A man wearing a navy blue jersey with "Brewers" on the front in white, gray pants, navy blue cap with a white "M", and outfielder's glove on his left hand walking on a grassy field
Ryan Braun , who played third base in 2007, won the National League Rookie of the Year Award that same season with the Brewers.
A view of the green baseball field from the third base side seats showing men in white baseball uniforms playing their positions as the sun has just set behind first base
First Horizon Park , then known as First Tennessee Park, opened in 2015 at the site of the historic Sulphur Dell ballpark.
A man in a navy blue baseball jersey, gray pants, and a navy cap with hands held together in his black glove
Tim Dillard set the career record for wins (48), games pitched (242), innings pitched (710), and strikeouts (437) from 2007 to 2014 and in 2019.
Men in white baseball uniforms celebrating on a green baseball field at night
The Sounds celebrating their first win in the International League on April 5, 2022, at First Horizon Park