MiLB Player of the Day: Matt Koperniak
Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Player of the Day
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Matt Koperniak Powers Memphis Comeback With Four-RBI Night
Matt Koperniak picked the right night to deliver one of his biggest swings of the season.
The Memphis Redbirds were staring at a tough road loss Tuesday night at Gwinnett. They had fallen behind early, trailed 5-1 after four innings and were still chasing the Stripers late in the game.
Then Memphis did what good clubs do.
The Redbirds kept coming.
Koperniak was right in the middle of it, going 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs, two runs scored and a walk in Memphis’ 11-6, 10-inning win over Gwinnett. It was the kind of complete offensive night that does more than fill a stat line. It helps change the direction of a game.
Memphis trailed 3-0 after two innings and 5-1 after four, but the Redbirds scored three times in the sixth to get back in it. They added two more runs in the ninth to tie the game, then exploded for five runs in the 10th to put it away.
That is when a lineup shows its backbone.
Koperniak’s production was a major part of the comeback. He reached base three times, drove in four runs and scored twice, giving Memphis exactly the kind of veteran offensive presence it needed in a game that could have slipped away early.
Leo Bernal also had a strong case for Player of the Day after going 2-for-5 with his 10th home run of the season and four RBIs. Nolan Gorman reached base five times, homered, walked four times and scored twice. But Koperniak’s full night — the hits, the homer, the walk, the runs scored and the four RBIs — gave him the edge.
This was not empty production in a runaway game.
This was winning production in a comeback.
Koperniak has long been the type of player who can give Memphis a professional at-bat and steady production. Tuesday night, he added impact. The Redbirds needed traffic, power and run production, and Koperniak supplied all three.
The final score says Memphis won by five.
The path to get there was anything but easy.
That is what made Koperniak’s night stand out. He helped keep the Redbirds alive when they were behind, then helped them finish the job when the game turned in their favor.
On a night when the Cardinals’ full-season affiliates went just 1-3, Memphis provided the lone win and the best offensive performance. Koperniak helped carry that win.
That is why Matt Koperniak is the Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Player of the Day.
Old School Take: Big nights matter more when they help erase a deficit. Matt Koperniak drove in four, reached three times and helped Memphis turn a 5-1 hole into an 11-6 road win. That is the kind of production that wins ballgames.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.
Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary:
www.cardinalchronicle.com
Photo Credit: Matt Koperniak, Memphis Redbirds |