The Braves organization is a franchise rich in history. From Boston, to Milwaukee and now here in Atlanta, the Braves are the longest running franchise in the Major Leagues. The history is the same in the Minor League organization, as the Richmond Braves, the Atlanta Braves’ AAA squad, had played in Virginia for over 40 years. But on Friday, history was made again as the Gwinnett Braves took the field for the first time at the brand-new Gwinnett Stadium. A sellout crowd of 10,247 fans was there to witness the event.
The Braves played against their division rival the Norfolk Tides and the Braves end up losing the game 7-4. But in this case, winning or losing was not as important as being a part of history and playing in front of the Gwinnett community.
“I thought it was electric,” Braves Manager Dave Brundage said. “It was fun I think from a standpoint just finally getting to the day. A lot of anticipation and a lot of energy. Obviously, from a fan standpoint they waited for this day a long time.
The fans were not disappointed, as they were a treated to pregame celebration which included Braves alumni such as Brian Jordan, Javy Lopez and Phil Niekro. There was also fireworks and two skydivers landed on the field to deliver the game ball.
What probably would have been the icing on the cake would have been future ace Tommy Hanson taking the mound to christen Gwinnett Stadium. But Charlie Morton got the nod and he was solid giving up three runs on five innings. And Like Brundage, Morton was impressed with the energy of the fans and the facilities.
“It’s exciting,” Morton said. “I wish it would gone a little better but it was exciting.”
It was clear that the fans in attendance didn’t know most of the players because they are used to seeing the boys at Turner Field. But they supported the team like they were the Atlanta Braves and they know that these are the future stars of the organization. One of the players that fans should keep an eye on is J.C. Holt, who went 2-for-3 in the loss on Friday and has spent the past couple of years playing in Richmond. And like the rest of the team, Holt is glad for the change.
“It was awesome,” Holt said about playing in front of a sold-out crowd at the brand new Gwinnett Stadium. “Anytime you move into a new stadium, there’s always a little bit of pressure. It’s almost impossible to win whenever you open up a stadium. The Yankees got smoked, the Mets got smoked and we got beat tonight. It’s always good to get it out of the way and now we can concentrate on playing ball.”
They may have lost the game and their record now stand at 4-5, but they did win over the fans and it looks like they will be playing in front of more packed houses as the season rolls on.
Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.
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