Braves offer free tickets to Floridians

MIAMI — A tiny piece of good news for Floridians evacuating due to Hurricane Irma: If you get to Atlanta, you can go to the Marlins’ games for free this weekend.

The Braves, who are hosting the Marlins for a fourgame series at SunTrust Park starting Thursday night, are offering complimentary tickets to Florida residents, the Braves announced Thursday afternoon. Floridians can go to the Braves’ ticket office the day of the game and get a free ticket by showing their valid Florida I.D.

“We know how difficult it has been for those who have had to pack up and leave their homes as Hurricane Irma approaches,” Derek Schiller, the Braves’ president of business, said in a statement. “We hope we can help take their mind off the storm for a few hours by coming to enjoy a baseball game at SunTrust Park.”

With Hurricane Irma bearing down on South Florida — and potentially traveling right up the peninsula — many are fleeing north, generating heavy traffic on I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike on Thursday afternoon.

Thursday’s MarlinsBraves game had a 7:35 p.m. start time, followed by 7:35 p.m. today, 7:10 p.m. Saturday and 1:35 p.m. Sunday.

The Marlins left for their long-scheduled road trip Wednesday night. The families of players and traveling staff were invited to join the team’s chartered flight to Atlanta. The Marlins are scheduled to fly to Philadelphia on Sunday night and return South Florida early in the morning of Sept. 15.

Back home, meanwhile, ballpark-operations crews were busy securing Marlins Park. The stadium, which opened in 2012, is built to withstand a Category 4 storm and could receive its first big test this weekend.