Red Wings edge Redbirds 4-3 in International League Championship opener
The short version
- Rochester leads the best-of-three series 1-0 after a 4-3 win on Sept. 22.
- Seaver King and Jimmy Crooks homered; Crooks also drove in a ninth-inning run.
- Seven Red Wings pitchers held Memphis to four hits outside the two homers.
- Jurrangelo Cijntje allowed all four runs over six innings with six strikeouts.
- Game 2 is 6:45 p.m. Sept. 23 at AutoZone Park; Game 3, if needed, is Sept. 24.
Rochester grabbed the first game of the best-of-three Triple-A title series in Memphis, holding on for a one-run victory at AutoZone Park.
Rochester built just enough offense — a solo homer, an RBI double and two sacrifice flies — to edge Memphis 4-3 on Sept. 22 in the opening game of the best-of-three International League Championship Series at AutoZone Park.
Memphis, the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, answered with solo shots from Seaver King in the fifth and Jimmy Crooks in the sixth. Crooks added a run-scoring single in the ninth to pull the Redbirds within a run, but the comeback stalled there.
Seven Rochester pitchers limited Memphis to four additional hits beyond the home runs. The Redbirds drew eight walks yet stranded 10 runners.
Jurrangelo Cijntje, a switch-pitcher rated the No. 12 prospect in the Cardinals' system, was charged with all four Rochester runs over six innings, allowing eight hits and fanning six.
Game 2 is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. on Sept. 23 at AutoZone Park, with a decisive Game 3, if needed, set for the same Memphis venue at 6:45 p.m. on Sept. 24. The Redbirds are in the postseason for the first time since their 2018 Triple-A championship campaign.
Written by the Matchday Live desk from reporting by Yahoo Sports.
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