Braves will test new stadium
ATLANTA — Workers Thursday scurried around baseball’s newest stadium, screwing in a row of seats, stocking up the concession stands and hauling away construction debris. In the surest sign that the first pitch was just 24 hours away — they also watered down the infield.
Amid the flurry of lastminute touches, the Atlanta Braves held their initial workout at SunTrust Park, tuning up for an exhibition game Friday night against the New York Yankees.
The $622 million stadium appeared largely ready for a game that will serve as a tuneup for the regular season, giving team officials a chance to discover any kinks and make adjustments where necessary. The players certainly reveled in the chance to move into a brand new facility.
“I don’t care how much money they’re making or how long they’ve been in the game, it’s a fun thing,” manager Brian Snitker said. “For a lot of these guys, it’s their first time here.”
The exhibition game is limited to season-ticket holders, meaning the 41,500-seat facility only will be about half full. The first regular-season home game, April 14 against the San Diego Padres, is a sellout. The Pirates’ first trip there is May 22-25.
The Braves moved to the suburbs after 20 years at Turner Field near downtown Atlanta, taking advantage of a sweetheart deal from Cobb County that included some $400 million in public funding and the land to build a mixedused development adjacent to the new stadium. The massive complex, known as Battery Atlanta, includes restaurants, shops, a music venue, apartments, an office tower and even a hotel. But much of it remains a work in progress, scheduled to open in phases during the season and perhaps into 2018, which was apparent from the giant crane looming beyond the center-field scoreboard.
But Mike Plant, the Braves executive who oversaw the project, pointed out that the stadium was built in just 2½ years and most parts of the complex will be completed within three years. He added that the first apartment residents were set to move in Friday, while that unsightly crane will come down before opening day.
Former Braves manager Bobby Cox was running the team when it moved into Turner Field in 1997. He is impressed with the new stadium.
“I think it turned out beautifully,” Cox said. “I thought it would be hard getting one better than Turner Field, to be honest with you. But they did. They got it right.”
While a boost in attendance is expected in Year 1, there are plenty of concerns about how SunTrust Park will be received by the team’s fan base.
Most of the uncertainty stems from Atlanta’s traffic. The stadium is about 12 miles northwest of Turner Field and sits along two of the most congested interstates.