MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Cardinals top prospect Matthew Liberatore was as-advertised in his Memphis debut.
The 21-year-old went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five batters in the Redbirds 4-3 loss to the Durham Bulls.
Liberatore's second batter of his Triple-A career came against Wander Franco. After falling behind in a 2-0 count, Liberatore threw three consecutive strikes to fan Major League Baseball's No. 1 prospect.
The last time the lefthanded pitcher took the mound in a regular season game was 2019 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Speaking with reporters Monday, Liberatore reflected on the emotions of getting back to competitive action.
"Not necessarily nervousness, but those 'I'm ready' butterflies," he said. "That adrenaline rush, that feeling of like 'Okay, it's go-time.'"
Liberatore was dealt to St. Louis in January of 2020 as part of a deal for former Redbirds Jose Martinez and Randy Arozarena.
"I'm not looking to prove that I was worth trading Arozarena for or trying to out-do anything he did in the postseason last year," he said. "We're two different people in two different organizations and I wish him the best."
But in preparation for Thursday's debut against Durham, the Triple-A affiliate of the team that traded him, finding extra motivation never hurts.
"I like to act like there is some sort of personal vengeance," he said. "I feel like when I whole-heartedly compete against another team, that's when I show up the best and perform the best. So yeah, I'm creating some personal vengeance, but not to prove somebody wrong or anything like that."