FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Having all manner of issues trying to beat the Braves in the civilian sector this season, the Miami Marlins grew teeth Sunday night in the first-ever major league game played on an active military base.
All Fort Bragg-ing rights belonged to the Marlins as they piled up 13 hits, plenty enough to hold off a little ninth-inning uprising and beat the Braves, 5-2, for only the fourth time in 12 meetings to date.
Numbing the loss for the Braves was the experience of playing the first-ever regular season baseball game at an active military base, and the day-long interaction they enjoyed with the troops.
“The bad part is we lost the game,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “The good part is that it’s something I’ll never forget the rest of my life.”
“It’s an unbelievable honor and privilege to be a part of this game,” he said.
Braves starter Matt Wisler, 3-8, gave up a career-high 10 hits in his six innings of work and three of the Marlins runs. Victimizing Wisler while often behind in the count, Miami broke open a scoreless game when Adeiny Hechavarria’s triple was followed up by three straight singles from the top of the Marlins order. Wisler was chased by consecutive singles by the Marlins top two hitters to begin the seventh, J.T. Realmuto eventually scoring.
“That’s something we talked about coming out of the game, the ability to execute pitches 0-2, 1-2,” catcher Tyler Flowers said. “Getting up on a guy (in the count) and leaving it up or getting too much of the plate.”
Miami lefthander Adam Conley has now accounted for two of the Marlins four wins over the Braves, having now thrown 14 consecutive scoreless innings at them (eight inning June 22 and six more Sunday).
The Braves avoided their 11th shutout of the season’s first half, when Erik Aybar drove in Flowers with a double and Jeff Francoeur scoring on an A.J. Pierzynski sacrifice fly.
Regardless of the score, there was joy to be found in the setting. “It was so much fun to be able to play a game like this,” first-baseman Freddie Freeman said. “We’ll be talking about this game 10 years from now and how awesome it was to play this one.”
