Recovering from a hip injury, Corey Southerland hobbled his way into SunTrust Park on Thursday on crutches under a blazing sun. He couldn’t bear missing the Braves face the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of the National League Division Series, which the Braves lost 7-6.
He and his friend, Robert Schleitwiler, planned ahead, leaving work hours early to give themselves plenty of time to cope with any traffic slowdowns, and then make their way to the ballpark.
In the end, they had time to spare. The drive from Brookhaven took 25 minutes. And when a parking attendant learned Southerland was on crutches, he arranged for a special shuttle to drop them off at the entrance to the ballpark. The two fans enjoyed a cold beverage outside their truck before heading inside the ballpark more than one hour before first pitch.
“This is exciting,” said Schleitwiler of Gwinnett County as he arrived. “Anxious to see what happens.”
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As temperatures reached a record-breaking 97 degrees Thursday, a steady stream of fans filed into the SunTrust Park early, even hours before the game started. The staggered arrival helped prevent major traffic snarls. Many fans also found alternatives to parking their cars. Some took ride shares. And Joseph Ector of Jonesboro enlisted a friend to drop him off before the game, and then pick him up after the game.
“World Series, baby!” Ector cheered as he entered the stadium. “I feel like this our year.”
Before the game, two members of Frog-X Parachute Team landed on the field; red-white-and-blue parachutes punctuated a pale blue sky and photogenic expanse of green. There were two F-16 flyovers before the game, and Chipper Jones threw the first pitch. And Atlanta producer-rapper-songwriter Jermaine Dupri got the game going with “Let’s Play Ball.”
The Braves announced the attendance for Thursday’s game at 42,631, the third highest for a game at SunTrust Park, which opened in 2017.
Fans, greeted with a red foam Tomahawks at their seats, seemed to take the sizzling heat in stride. Judy Dillard, with a blue sponge towel around her neck, and her grandson Cade Galloway, who is 12, took their seats two hours early. Seated in the first row in the outfield, they loved their view but couldn’t escape the heat. Even so, they weren’t complaining. The die-hard fans, who live in a small town in western North Carolina, were thrilled to be there.
“I started watching them in the ’80s, and really got into them in the ’90s,” Dillard said. “I love the Braves so much and don’t miss a game. But to be here in person is really something special.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Henson surprised his father with tickets to the game. They both live in Ringgold, a northwest Georgia town, and don’t get to many games in person. But over the years, they have bonded over watching many games together, and Daniel enjoys hearing stories about his father going to games as far back as the 1960s. One of his favorite stories is about his dad being among the record-breaking crowd of 53,775 people in Atlanta Stadium when Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s legendary record of 714 homers. Danny Henson jokes he almost left early because it was a cool, drizzly evening and he got wet. It remains a favorite Braves moment.
So when Daniel Henson looked into getting tickets and saw a couple of them available in the Hank Aaron Terrace, perched above the left-field seats, it seemed like it was meant to be. The semi-private space also features access to an air-conditioned area, which made it seem even more perfect.
“My dad likes the cold and doesn’t like to be uncomfortable, so I knew this was the way to go,” Daniel Henson said.
