A Rookie-level Appalachian League game will be played at the Tennessee Smokies’ (Class AA; Southern League) Smokies Stadium on August 4, when the Greeneville Reds face the Johnson City Cardinals. The game, originally scheduled in Greeneville, will instead be hosted by the Smokies at Smokies Stadium in Kodak as the first ever “Boyd Sports Family Reunion”.
“We are extremely excited to involve all three Boyd Sports teams for this game,” stated Boyd Sports President and COO Chris Allen. “We are thrilled to be able to allow fans from all three teams to be able to experience this Boyd Sports “family reunion” at Smokies Stadium. We couldn’t be more proud to operate these three teams, and to be able to have all three teams involved in one day is going to make for a special experience.”
Boyd Sports took over management of the Greeneville Reds leading into the 2018 season, expanding the Boyd Sports family to three including the Tennessee Smokies and the Johnson City Cardinals, as well as the Reds. After acquiring the Tennessee Smokies in 2013, the company is now in its third season of operating the Johnson City Cardinals.
The Appalachian League of Professional Baseball is a Rookie-class Minor League Baseball league. Teams that are a part of the Appalachian League tend to see some of the top draft picks from the MLB draft appear on their roster on their way to the Major League club.
The Greeneville Reds will play the game as the home team. First pitch for the contest will be at 7:00 PM, and gates will open at 5:30 PM. Fans will be able to enjoy autographs from both the Johnson City Cardinals and the Greeneville Reds prior to the game. There will be fireworks following the game.