MLB in Bristol: Braves and Reds astounded by the Speedway, Attendance Record!

BRISTOL, Tennessee – Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona was impressed by the magnitude of Bristol Motor Speedway upon arriving at the stadium on Saturday. The size of the venue is such that it can accommodate two baseball fields. Francona’s Reds only needed one for the MLB Speedway Classic against the Atlanta Braves. Francona praised the effort made in preparing for the event.

When you get away from the field, it’s really neat. The way the stands are oriented, the ones that are using, they look great.

Terry Francona

The MLB Speedway Classic was announced almost a year ago as part of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s initiative to bring MLB to places where baseball is not played daily. MLB has already held games at the “Field of Dreams” movie site in Iowa. Now it’s Tennessee’s turn, a state with teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS, but without an MLB team, although there is a group seeking an expansion franchise for Nashville. This game combines the rich history of Bristol motorsport, which hosts two NASCAR races each year, and Tennessee.

When you arrive at Bristol Motor Speedway, as in many of our events, you know you’re in an iconic and great sporting venue. You feel it. You enter Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and you feel it. And that’s what Bristol Motor Speedway is for NASCAR.

Jeremiah Yolkut

Before the start of the game, fans enjoyed a party zone with a 110-foot Ferris wheel, race cars in the colors of the MLB teams, food trucks, live music, pitching tunnels and batting cages, as well as the opportunity to take photos with the Commissioner’s Trophy. Inside the stadium, artist Tim McGraw performed and shared with the fans that his late father, pitcher Tug McGraw, didn’t fare very well against the Reds or the Braves. Pitbull also performed with McGraw. The players rode around in the back of pick-up trucks with their numbers on display and took a lap around the racetrack. For the introductions, the Braves and the Reds walked between a couple of cars decorated with the colors of Atlanta and Cincinnati.

Starting pitcher Spencer Strider, who grew up near Knoxville, received a bigger ovation than Reds starter Chase Burns. NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott joined Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Chipper Jones for the ceremonial first pitch. However, the rain delayed the start of the game.

Honestly, my first thought is that I can’t believe they did all this for a single game. Being able to prepare all this, prepare a playing surface, prepare the stands to have a good view, is incredible.

Matt Olson

The Reds, seeking a wild card spot in the National League, split the first two games of this series with Atlanta. The deciding game will be part of history, as it is the first Major League Baseball game to be played in the state of Tennessee. Pitcher Andrew Abbott appeared Saturday afternoon in Bristol wearing a cut-off version of a NASCAR racing suit. Abbott, who was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, said he wanted something special for the game.

I grew up around NASCAR. I went to eBay and found some options, and fortunately that was the one that arrived on time. I had a couple of alternatives. I also know who Rusty Wallace is, so I know the history behind this.

Andrew Abbott

These teams will play before the largest crowd to have ever seen a regular season MLB game. More than 85,000 people might not generate the noise of race cars, but Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said there are plenty of earplugs available in the Braves’ clubhouse.

I don’t know if I’ve ever been around so many people.

Brian Snitker

MLB did not attempt to sell all the tickets within the circuit, which attracted 156,990 people for the Battle of Bristol college football game in 2016. The track, with a capacity of 146,000, could hold 90,000 or more, even with blocked sections. On Monday, it was announced that more than 85,000 tickets had been sold, surpassing the previous paid attendance of 84,587 set on September 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees. A batter will have to surpass 400 feet to hit the ball out of center field, 375 in the alleys, and 330 down each baseline. Hitting a ball down the line increases the chance of the ball bouncing on the running track beyond the outfield fence. Olson wouldn’t mind if it were the first time.

We want to win the game, but it would be great to connect one where you’ve never connected one.

Matt Olson