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Redbirds stand in way of River Cats' three-peat 09/15/2009 10:00 AM ETBy Benjamin Hill / MLB.com
After an exciting 2009 regular season, follow along with MiLB.com as the Minors' best teams face off in an attempt to take home their league's title.
Memphis vs. Sacramento Memphis Redbirds
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are three victories away from their third straight PCL championship, a feat of sustained excellence that hasn't occurred in the circuit since the Albuquerque Dukes won it all from 1980-82. Standing in their way are the Memphis Redbirds, whose last playoff appearance (and championship) occurred in 2000. It's going to be a battle of perennial contender versus drought-breaking underdog. Who will emerge victorious? The River Cats compiled the best record in the PCL, coasting to their sixth divisional title in the past seven seasons. They then knocked off the Tacoma Rainiers in the semi-finals, needing four games to do so. The undisputed star of that series was Chris Carter, the 2009 Texas League Player of the Year. The 22-year-old slugger, who arrived in Sacramento in late August, has homered in each of the River Cats' four postseason games thus far, and he also homered in his final game of the regular season. Tommy Everidge and Brett Wallace were also prime offensive contributors, driving in seven runs apiece. The latter player has an intriguing back story, as he spent a large portion of the year with Memphis before being traded to the Oakland organization in exchange for Matt Holliday. On the pitching side of the equation for the River Cats, it will be interesting to see if Jerome Williams can continue his postseason success. The 27-year-old righty compiled a 6.10 ERA over 14 regular season starts, but he limited Tacoma to one run over seven innings while striking out a season-high eight batters on Friday. The Redbirds flew into the playoffs on the strength of a strong finish to the regular season, and their hot streak continued with a three-game sweep of Albuquerque in the semifinals. The team got it done on both sides of the ball during the series, hitting .333 overall while compiling a 1.33 ERA. Evan Maclane hurled seven shutout innings in Friday's clincher, and Pete Parise nailed it down by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth, marking the third straight game in which he tossed a perfect frame. If the series goes a full five games, then these two teams will have played against each other more in the postseason than they did during the regular season. The lone meeting between the clubs took place during a series in Memphis, with the River Cats winning three of four. Wallace extracted a measure of revenge on his former teammates by hitting .467 with two homers, while David Freese blasted a pair of dingers for the Redbirds. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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