Among the Braves’ growing colony of former White Sox — A.J. Pierzynski, Gordon Beckham, newcomer Lucas Harrell — this weekend has been a bit more significant for Tyler Flowers, who for the first time is visiting the park where he spent his first seven years in the majors.
“I’ve never been over here (in the visitors’ clubhouse), being in the other dugout,” he said Friday. “Hopefully, I won’t mess up and go the wrong way.”
From 2009-15, Flowers was in the ChiSox organization after the Braves, who drafted the Blessed Trinity catcher in 2005, dealt him to Chicago in a six-player deal that netted Javier Vazquez. He appeared in 431 games with the White Sox before the Braves signed him to a two-year free agent contract last winter.
He arrived at U.S. Cellular Field on a high note, going into Saturday’s game hitting .364 (8-for-22) over his past six games, with a double, two homers and six RBIs. His 11th-inning RBI single beat the Cubs on Thursday, and he clobbered a two-run homer off old battery mate Chris Sale on Friday night, though he claimed any familiarity with the White Sox ace couldn’t be a factor.
“It’s a completely different perspective, looking to your left trying to hit something vs. looking straight at him knowing what’s coming, and trying to hit it,” he said.
The old Sox fraternity closed the circle a little tighter in the second inning, when Flowers came out of the game due to a strained left hand and was replaced by Pierzynski. He drew a prolonged ovation from the U.S Cellular Field crowd, even though he left the team via free agency three years ago.
