Today is Saturday, October 7. The Major League Baseball Playoffs start today with 4 games pitting the 8 remaining teams left in the playoffs. One of those games features the National League East Champion Atlanta Braves vs their East rivals Philadelphia Phillies. Because of their exceptional regular season record, the Braves had a bye in the first round of the playoffs (Phillies beat the Marlins 2-0 to advance). So, while they waited for their opponent to be named, the Braves held a series of free workouts at Truist Park on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And I decided to attend one of them.
Per the Braves website, I was to log into my Ticketmaster account and purchase a ticket for $0. Sounds good to me and with a few clicks, I was all set for a free event at Truist Park. Free parking, free general admission, what an amazing opportunity for Braves (and baseball) fans. A work colleague of mine, (Joe, Dodgers fan) joined me for the event and after a busy day at work (for ABF Freight), we hopped in the uber-busy Atlanta traffic and headed south to Truist Park.
After finding a free spot to park, we literally crossed the street and entered the back end of Truist Park, where there was some kind of tractor demo going on. There was a huge statue of Braves legend and Hall of Famer, Warren Spahn. Spahn pitched for parts of 23 seasons in the Majors, most notably with the Boston then Milwaukee Braves. His 363 wins is still the most all-time for a left handed pitcher, and I would say it is safe to say will never be broken. And served in the US Army in World War II. Again, safe to say, one of the best pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball.
Can you imagine going to a free, general admission game and sitting pretty much wherever you want? This Braves free workout event was sort of like that. The Braves starting lineup split up into two teams as did its pitching staff and relief pitchers and played an intrasquad game. Batters were introduced, fans cheered, 3 umpires (home plate, 2 in the field), pitch clock, stadium lights on. All the usual stuff, just a little less intense than normal. I looked out and saw familiar faces at 3rd (Riley), right field (Acuna), catcher (Murphy), 2nd (Albies), 1st (Olsen) and thought ‘wow, this is really happening.’ Unlike many Spring Training games where the starters play a few innings or get one at bat, this workout had starters playing well into the later innings, taking several at bats, running the bases (well at 50%), and scoring runs.
During the regular season, the Braves used the home run ball to help propel them to the National League East title. In this free Braves workout game, the players one after the other hit towering home runs. Against Major League pitchers on their staff, no jokes, no BP pitchers – real MLB starters and relievers on the post season roster. Some of those Pitchers will be used in this weekend’s playoff game action. So, Atlanta can hit and hit the long ball. There is no doubt.
Joe and I started our seating plan behind home plate, then grabbed some food at the concession stand, then found seats along the left field foul area. The Braves bullpen was tossing baseballs over to security staff, who then handed them out to fans of all ages. Honestly, I still marvel at the lengths people will take to get a baseball at a major league game. For me, it never gets old. There is just something special about acquiring a baseball hit or pitched by a Major League Baseball player at a game, showing it to your parents or friends, taking it to school the next day, and then placing it on your bureau to enjoy for years to come. To coin a phrase, that is why I love baseball.
After about 7 innings of home runs, watching about 12 pitchers on strict pitch counts throwing live, fans cheering loudly on every play, the game was announced – over. Fans stayed for players to say hi as they walked to the dugout. Kids got to maneuver for a few more baseballs being tossed in the stands. Joe and I stayed for a bit to let the crowd disperse before heading back to our car. Overall, a really fun night at Truist Park.
Unlike many Minor League stadiums, which offer a general admission ticket, Major League stadiums have primo seats that cost a pretty penny. You pay good money to sit behind a dugout or home plate and for most baseball fans, the price is too high to pay. Sure, you can see the game from the bleachers or the upper deck areas where the ticket prices tend to be far less expensive and more affordable for the average family. Well, this free event was general admission and baseball fans of all ages, income levels got to sit and enjoy the primo seats – so what that it was for one night only. Personally, I applaud the Braves organization for thinking of all of its fans, not just the ones who can afford those luxury seats down near the field. Those families, those kids, myself will always remember the time we saw Acuna, Olsen, Riley, Albies, and the rest of the Braves super close up, right there in the seats behind home plate. After all, retaining baseball fans for life is priceless and I believe the Braves accomplished that goal with these free workout events.
The Rhiter 