MEMPHIS — For the first time in almost 600 days, baseball is back in downtown Memphis.
The Redbirds working out at Autozone Park Monday ahead of Opening Night, Tuesday night against the Durham Bulls.
Unlike their major league counterparts, these guys haven’t played a meaningful game since September of 2019. But that is about to change.
Under the watchful eye of Memphian and former Germantown standout Ben Johnson, these new look Redbirds are ready to take the field…for real for a Redbird return that’s been a long time coming.
“This is a group that hadn’t been on the field, in game like competition against another club, since September ’19,” said Redbirds manager Ben Johnson. “To say we’re excited is a little bit of an understatement, I’d say. This group is not only excited but they’re hungry. They’re ready.”
“When I got to step on that field and I knew in a few days that we were going to be seeing guys in different uniforms, and we’d get to compete against them and, not only another team but the team that I came from in the Durham Bulls, that gave me, not necessarily nervous, but those I’m ready butterflies,” said Redbirds pitcher and Cardinals top prospect Matthew Liberatore. “I started breaking a sweat without having to warm up or try to make myself sweat. I had those emotions, that adrenaline rush. That feeling of, ok, it’s go time.”
The Redbirds open with a six-game series against the Bulls, running Tuesday through Sunday at Autozone Park.