MiLB Player of the Day: Leo Bernal, Memphis Redbirds

The Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Player of the Day: Leo Bernal
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Leo Bernal helped make sure Memphis finished the road trip the right way.

Bernal is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Player of the Day after going 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI doubles in the Redbirds’ 11-7 comeback win over the Norfolk Tides on Sunday afternoon at Harbor Park.

This was not empty production.

Memphis needed every bit of offense it could find. The Redbirds had to battle back, answer Norfolk’s early scoring, and keep adding on late to close out one of their most important series of the first half.

Bernal was right in the middle of it.

After Bligh Madris gave Memphis a lead with a three-run homer in the second inning, Norfolk pushed back. The game was still there to be taken in the fourth, and that is when Bernal delivered one of the swings that mattered most.

Ramón Mendoza tied the game with a two-run double, and Bernal followed with an RBI double of his own to put Memphis ahead for good.

That is the kind of hit that changes the feel of a game.

Bernal was not finished. He added another RBI double later in the game, reached base four times, and helped Memphis turn a back-and-forth afternoon into an 11-7 win.

The Redbirds had contributions up and down the lineup. All nine starters had at least one hit. Victor Scott II, César Prieto, Madris and Mendoza each added two-hit games. Madris drove in three with his home run, and Mendoza drove in two with his double.

But Bernal had the best overall line, and his first RBI double came in the inning that put Memphis ahead for good.

That earns the honor.

The win also carried team significance. Memphis took five of six from Norfolk and now heads home still very much alive in the International League first-half race. At this point in the season, those wins matter. So do the players who help deliver them.

Bernal did that Sunday.

He controlled the strike zone, found the barrel, drove in runs, and helped finish off a strong road series for one of the hottest clubs in Triple-A.

Old School Take

There are plenty of ways to help win a ballgame.

Leo Bernal reached base four times, drove in two runs, and delivered the hit that put Memphis ahead for good.

That is a winning line.

The Redbirds needed a big day to finish the series.

Bernal gave them one.

That is why Leo Bernal is The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Leo Bernal, Memphis Redbirds | MilB