Ender Inciarte will be the answer to four trivia questions about SunTrust Park
There’s nothing quite like the grand opening of a new baseball stadium. The Atlanta Braves proved that again on Friday. Just 20 years after opening Turner Field in downtown Atlanta, the Braves opened SunTrust Park on the outskirts of town with a huge celebration and a 5-2 win against the San Diego Padres.
The event had all of the pomp and circumstance you’d expect. It also had its share of firsts, which Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte apparently didn’t want to share with anyone else.
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Inciarte, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, will be the answer to four trivia questions:
He caught the first out of the game, which came on the first pitch of the game, in the top of the first inning.
In the bottom half, Enciarte recorded the first hit with a leadoff single.
He would later come around to score the first run on Nick Markakis’ two-run double.
Then in the sixth inning, Inciarte launched the first home run in SunTrust Park history. That gave Atlanta the 5-2 lead that would hold up as the final score.
The most impressive part is that Inciarte did it on four different plays. Had he led off with a home run, that would have been cool too, but this proves his fingerprints were all over this game.
Of course, there were many other firsts as well. San Diego starter Jhoulys Chacin recorded the first strikeout, getting Adonis Garcia looking to end the first inning. San Diego’s Travis Jankowski drew the first walk and stole the first base in the first inning.
Better than all of that though was the ceremonial first pitch, which saw Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Bobby Cox open the ballpark in grand style.
The @Braves' historic first pitch at SunTrust Park: Hank Aaron to Bobby Cox. #WelcomeHome pic.twitter.com/ZsavJOGUhx
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) April 14, 2017
The extravaganza served as a reunion of sorts, with Chipper Jones among the many former Braves players, coaches and personalities on hand for the festivities. But the Braves ultimately hope their new home will serve as the gateway to future success.
Whether that happens is yet to be determined, but Friday was certainly an exciting start.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
