Atlanta Braves Baseball
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major
League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997. The "Braves" name, which was first used in 1912, originates from a term
for a Native American warrior. They are nicknamed "the Bravos",[ and often self-styled as "America's Team" in reference to the team's games being broadcast on
the nationally available TBS until the 2008 season, gaining a wide fanbase. From 1991–2005 the Braves were one of the most successful franchises in baseball,
winning division titles an unprecedented 14 consecutive times in that period (omitting the strike-shortened 1994 season in which there were no official
division champions). The Braves won the NL West 1991–93 and the NL East 1995–2005, and returned to the playoffs as the National League Wild Card in 2010.
The Braves advanced to the World Series five times in the 1990s, winning the title in 1995. Since their debut in the National League in 1876, the franchise
has won 16 divisional titles, 17 National League pennants, as well as three World Series championships—in 1914 as the Boston Braves, in 1957 as the Milwaukee
Braves, and in 1995 in Atlanta. The Braves are the only MLB franchise to have won the World Series in three different home cities. The club is one of the
National League's two remaining charter franchises (the other being the Chicago Cubs) and was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871 as the Boston Red
Stockings (not to be confused with the American League's Boston Red Sox). They are considered "the oldest continuously playing team in American professional
sports." After various name changes (such as the Boston Beaneaters), the team operated as the Boston Braves for most of the first half of the 20th century.
In 1953, the team moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and became the Milwaukee Braves, followed by the move to Atlanta in 1966. The team's tenure in Atlanta is
famous for Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record in 1974, though the majority of Aaron's home runs were hit while the team was in Milwaukee.
His record stood until 2007, when San Francisco left fielder Barry Bonds broke the record/
After opening in 1997, the "Home of the Braves" has quickly become an Atlanta landmark and the benchmark for future baseball park design.
Turner Field combines the nostalgia and the atmosphere of old-time baseball with state-of-the-art family entertainment unlike that of any other park.
Turner Field is unrivaled in its blend of technology and entertainment. At all times, fans are entertained and informed of Turner Field activities through
superior sound systems, the BravesVision video board in center field, the PlazaVision board in the Fan Plaza and over 500 television monitors situated
throughout Turner Field. The BravesVision video board is 29 feet by 38 feet, weighs over 21 tons and features over 331,000 fluorescent light bulbs. The
PlazaVision board is 17 feet by 22 feet. These two huge boards make Turner Field unique among all sports facilities as two completely different shows can
be produced - one for the seating bowl and one for the Plaza. Inside the ballpark, fans are prompted to do the tomahawk chop by the 27-foot long "chopping"
neon tomahawk located atop the video board, and are kept informed of the latest scores around the leagues by the out-of-town scoreboard.
Grand Opening: April 4, 1997... Braves defeat Cubs, 5-4.
Location: Between Ralph David Abernathy on the north, Hank Aaron Drive on the east, Bill Lucas Drive on the south and Pollard Boulevard on the west. It's near the junction of I-75-85 and I-20.
Seating: Three levels supported by four concourses. A cross-aisle walkway divides the lower concourse. Field-level and dugout seats are below the cross-aisle, the terrace level above it. The second level, the Lexus Level, includes 58 private suites, three party suites and the 755 Club, the ballpark's private membership club. The third, or upper, level does not go all around the park, providing the fans there with a view of the downtown Atlanta skyline.
Playing Field: Prescription Athletic Turf, featuring a state-of-the-art mechanical drainage system and hybrid Bermuda grass. The turf for the playing field is grown in an area below the scoreboard beyond the center-field wall.
Parking: 8,500 official spaces. The lot on the site of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium contains an outline of the playing field, including markers for home plate, the bases and the location of Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run.
Disabled Seating: The entire ballpark is wheelchair-accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. More than one percent of the total seating capacity is allocated for disabled seating.
Ballpark Firsts: First pitch by Denny Neagle at 7:47 p.m.... The Cubs' Brian McRae was the first batter... Kenny Lofton was the first Braves' batter... First hit was by Chipper Jones... Michael Tucker had the first home run... Chipper Jones had the first stolen base... Brad Clontz secured the first victory and Mark Wohlers recorded the first save.... First error was by Fred McGriff.
Home of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games: Olympic Stadium, built just south of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, was retrofitted into a baseball-only, open-air, natural grass facility between September 1996 and April 1997. Grand Entry Plaza, the main entrance to Turner Field, was built after 35,000 seats and part of the track-and-field complex of the Olympic Stadium were removed. AFC Stadium was imploded in August of 1997 and the site is now a parking lot.
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