MiLB Player of the Day: Leo Bernal
Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Player of the Day
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Leo Bernal Delivers the Big Swing in Memphis Walk-Off Win
Leo Bernal did not need a three-hit night to become the story.
He needed one swing at the right time.
Bernal came through Friday night for the Memphis Redbirds, helping lift them to a 4-3, 11-inning win over the Charlotte Knights at AutoZone Park. The 21-year-old switch-hitting catcher, playing first base Friday, went 1-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, one run scored and a walk.
In a game where offense was hard to find, Bernal provided the kind of swing that changes everything.
Memphis and Charlotte traded runs early, with the Knights scoring twice in the top of the first and the Redbirds answering with two in the bottom half. From there, the game settled into a long, grinding stalemate. Both pitching staffs held the line, and the game remained tied until extra innings.
Charlotte pushed across a run in the top of the 11th, putting Memphis in a familiar spot: one swing away from winning or losing.
Bernal supplied that swing.
His ninth home run of the season gave Memphis the late answer it needed and sent the Redbirds to another hard-earned win. It was not a night filled with loud team offense. Memphis had only five hits. But when the game reached its biggest moment, Bernal gave the Redbirds their biggest swing.
That is why timing matters.
A player can go 3-for-5 in a lopsided game and still fade into the background. Bernal went 1-for-4, but his impact shaped the night. Three RBIs in a one-run, extra-inning win is not empty production. That is winning production.
Bernal has spent much of the season showing why the Cardinals continue to value his bat, his defensive versatility and his switch-hitting profile. Catchers who can hit are always worth watching. Catchers who can move to first base, stay in the lineup and deliver power in a late-game spot bring even more value to the conversation.
Friday night was a reminder of that.
Memphis also got a strong start from Quinn Mathews, who gave the Redbirds six innings of two-run baseball with seven strikeouts and no walks. The bullpen followed with strong work of its own, keeping Charlotte quiet long enough for Bernal to decide the game.
But this night belonged to the bat.
Bernal did not fill the box score with five different categories. He did something better. He gave Memphis the swing it had been waiting for all night.
That is why Leo Bernal is the Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day.
Old School Take: In extra innings, you do not need pretty. You need somebody willing to step into the box and end it. Leo Bernal did exactly that. One swing, three RBIs on the night, and another Memphis win.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Leo Bernal, Memphis Redbirds | MLB