Nashville Sounds

The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team from Nashville, Tennessee.[1] They play baseball at the Triple-A (AAA) level, the most difficult level before Major League Baseball, against other baseball teams in the International League (a group of 20 baseball teams at the same level).[1] The Sounds are partnered with the Milwaukee Brewers, a Major League Baseball team. When a player shows that he plays well at this level, he may be moved up to play for the Brewers.

Nashville Sounds
Founded1978
LeagueInternational League
BallparkFirst Horizon Park
Based inNashville, Tennessee
Team colorsNavy, red, white
     
Championships
  • 1979
  • 1982
  • 2005
Websitewww.milb.com/nashville

The team is named "Sounds" because Nashville, the city where the team plays, is famous for making country music.

The Sounds played at a stadium called Herschel Greer Stadium from 1978 to 2014. In 2015, the Sounds began to play at a new stadium called First Horizon Park.

History

The Sounds started playing baseball in 1978 in the Southern League, which is at the Double-A (AA) level, two levels before Major League Baseball.[1] They were partnered with the Cincinnati Reds (1978–1979) and New York Yankees (1980–1984).[2][3] The Sounds won the championship of the Southern League in 1979 and 1982.[4]

In 1985, the Sounds began to play at the Triple-A level in a league called the American Association.[1] While playing in this league, they were partnered with the Detroit Tigers (1985–1986),[5] Cincinnati Reds (1987–1992),[2] and Chicago White Sox (1993–1997).[6]

The American Association ended after the 1997 season, so the Sounds started playing in the Pacific Coast League in 1998.[1] They were partners with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1998–2004),[7] Milwaukee Brewers (2005–2014),[8] Oakland Athletics (2015–2018),[9] and Texas Rangers (2019–2020).[10] The Sounds won the championship of the Pacific Coast League in 2005.[11]

Major League Baseball reorganized Minor League Baseball before the 2021 season.[12] The Pacific Coast League was ended, and the Sounds began playing in the Triple-A East in 2021.[12] They also became partners with the Milwaukee Brewers.[12] The Triple-A East had its name changed to the International League in 2022.[13]

Ballparks

The Sounds' first ballpark was Herschel Greer Stadium. They played baseball games there from 1978 to 2014.[14] There were many changes to the ballpark after it was completed in 1978.[15] It had seats for 10,300 spectators.[16] Its best known feature was its giant 115.6 foot (35.2 m) scoreboard which was behind the left field wall and shaped like a guitar.[17] After the construction of new and luxurious minor league ballparks in the 1990s, Greer had fallen below standards set for Triple-A stadiums by professional baseball.[18] Therefore, there were several repairs and upgrades made to meet Triple-A standards until a new stadium could be built.[19] Greer Stadium was demolished in 2019.[20]

In 2014, the Sounds and the city of Nashville agreed on a plan to build a new baseball stadium for the team. The Sounds began playing baseball at the new stadium, called First Horizon Park, in 2015.[14] It has space for 10,000 spectators.[21] There are 8,500 seats, and there is a spot of grass where 1,500 others can sit.[21] It also has a guitar-shaped scoreboard.[21]

  • The field and seats at Herschel Greer Stadium
  • Greer Stadium had a special guitar-shaped scoreboard to display the score of the game.
  • A game being played at First Horizon Park
  • First Horizon Park also has a scoreboard shaped like a guitar.

References
  1. "Nashville, Tennessee Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. "Cincinnati Reds Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  3. "New York Yankees Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  4. "Southern League Past Champions". Southern League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  5. "Detroit Tigers Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  6. "Chicago White Sox Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  7. "Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  8. "Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  9. "Oakland Athletics Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  10. "Texas Rangers Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  11. "Pacific Coast League Champions". Pacific Coast League. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  12. Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  13. "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  14. "Nashville Sounds Team History". Nashville Sounds. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  15. Ryan, Abner (August 17, 2010). "Nashville's Loss Could Be RedHawks' Gain". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  16. Ammenheuser, David (February 9, 2014). "Sounds Expect Big Crowds After Move". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 12A – via Newspapers.com.
  17. Straughn, Katie (June 20, 2014). "7 Facts About Greer Stadium's Original Guitar Scoreboard". The Tennessean. Nashville. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  18. Woody, Larry (1996). Schmittou: A Grand Slam in Baseball, Business, and Life. Nashville: Eggmann Publishing Company. p. 127. ISBN 1-886371-33-4.
  19. Naujeck, Jeannie (March 22, 2009). "Sounds' New Ownership Hopes Renovations Will Spark Interest". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  20. Lombard, Cherish (April 1, 2019). "Greer Stadium Demolition Could Take up to 6 Months, Officials Say". WRKN. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  21. Reichard, Kevin (April 20, 2015). "First Tennessee Park / Nashville Sounds". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved April 20, 2015.

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