Global InformationList of Nashville Sounds Opening Day starting pitchers information
The Nashville Sounds Minor League Baseball team has played in Nashville, Tennessee, since being established in 1978 as an expansion team of the Double-A Southern League.[3] They moved up to Triple-A in 1985 as members of the American Association before joining the Pacific Coast League in 1998.[3] With the restructuring of the minor leagues in 2021, they were placed in the Triple-A East, which became the International League in 2022.[4][5] The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starting pitcher is an honor which is given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season,[6] though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day.[7] The Sounds have used 43 different Opening Day starters in their 46 seasons.[8]
Nashville's first Opening Day game was played against the Memphis Chicks at Tim McCarver Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 15, 1978.[9] Bill Dawley was their starting pitcher that day; he took the decision in a game the Sounds lost, 4–2.[9] Their first Opening Day game held at home was an 8–7 win against the Birmingham Barons at Herschel Greer Stadium on April 9, 1981.[8] Starter Jamie Werly, who went on to win the Southern League Most Outstanding Pitcher Award that season,[10] did not figure in the decision.[11] On April 4, 2013, starter Tyler Thornburg took a no decision in the final Opening Day game at Greer Stadium, a 5–4 Sounds win.[8][12] The team left Greer after the 2014 season, but did not play their first Opening Day game at First Horizon Park, their new facility then known as First Tennessee Park, until two years later.[8] In that game, held on April 7, 2016, Sounds starting pitcher Chris Smith was charged with the loss in a 5–0 shutout by the Oklahoma City Dodgers.[13]
Nashville's Opening Day starting pitchers have a combined Opening Day record of 11 wins, 16 losses, and 19 no decisions. At Greer Stadium, they had a record of 5 wins, 4 losses, and 8 no decisions in 17 Opening Day starts. At First Horizon Park, they have 0 wins, 2 losses, and 2 no decisions in 4 Opening Day starts. They have an aggregate record of 5 wins, 6 losses, and 10 no decisions in 21 Opening Day starts at home. Nashville starters have a record of 6 wins, 10 losses, and 9 no decisions in 25 Opening Day starts on the road.
The only Sounds pitchers with more than one Opening Day start are Bill Dawley (1978 and 1979), Rodney Imes (1990 and 1991), and Zach Jackson (2007 and 2008), each with two starts. Three Sounds Opening Day starters have also started Opening Day games in Major League Baseball: Bob Milacki for the Baltimore Orioles in 1990,[14] Wily Peralta for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016,[15] and Chris Bassitt for the Oakland Athletics in 2021.[16]
- ^ "Nashville Sounds Yearly Results". Nashville Sounds. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ "Pacific Coast League Special Award Winners". Triple-A Baseball. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ a b Weiss, Bill; Wright, Marshall (2001). "Top 100 Teams". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Bastian, Jordan (March 22, 2010). "Marcum Tapped for Jays' Opening Day". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ Dilbeck, Steve (February 24, 2014). "Dodgers May Not Start Clayton Kershaw in Sydney". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Seely, Chad; Brooks, Peter; Scopel, Doug (2021). 2021 Nashville Sounds Media Guide (PDF). pp. 170–171. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021 – via Minor League Baseball.
- ^ a b Traughber, Bill (June 3, 2013). "Looking Back: Sounds First Games In 1978". Nashville Sounds. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ "Most Outstanding Pitchers". Southern League. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ "Sounds Nip Barons 8–7". The Tennessean. Nashville. April 10, 1981. p. 23. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Zephyrs vs. Sounds Box Score 04/04/13". Minor League Baseball. April 4, 2013. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ "Dodgers vs. Sounds Box Score 04/07/16". Pacific Coast League. Minor League Baseball. April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals Box Score, April 9, 1990". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ^ "San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Brewers Box Score, April 4, 2016". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ^ "Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics Box Score, April 1, 2021". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.