By CHUCK BALLARO Sun Correspondent
February 22,2020
Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies beats the tag by
Baltimore Orioles catcher Chance Cisco during the first inning
Saturday at CoolToday Park in North Port.
Sun Photo by Tom O'Neil
NORTH PORT — It was a new beginning for the Atlanta Braves on Saturday as they officially opened its new spring ballpark to fans.
The Braves played its first game of 2020 in its new CoolToday Park, the team’s new home for the next 30 years, following a soft opening last spring.
And the fans were treated to a great performance by the Braves starters, especially Felix Hernandez, as they cruised to a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Hernandez, trying to rejuvenate his career after tough times in Seattle, went two scoreless innings and looked better than he has in several years.
“I felt good. I threw a lot of strikes. I threw some good breaking balls today, having command of my pitches this early is a good sign,” Hernandez said. “I haven’t felt this good in three or four years.”
“He came out aggressive, he used his whole assortment. I liked the upbeat aggressiveness he was showing. That was a good start for a first time out,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Meanwhile, the Braves offense jumped on Baltimore starter Chandler Sheppard. Ronald Acuna led off with an infield single. After walks to Ozzie Albes and Freddie Freeman, Adam Duvall blooped a single to center to score Acuna.
Dansby Swanson and Ender Incarte followed with sacrifice flies to make the score 3-0.
Atlanta scored again in the third on a Duvall double play, and in the fifth on a Peter O’Brien sac fly to center. Ozzie Albies scored twice for Atlanta, while six Braves pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout.
On this day, the big star was the new stadium, which along with the rest of the complex was best described with one hyphenate: game-changer.
The new facilities have gotten rave reviews, citing the amenities and its location close to several teams.
“I love it. The working conditions we have is unbelievable. Disney was fine, but this is a better situation for us,” Snitker said. “We have more room, a big clubhouse and a food room where everyone can sit and eat. We can spread out for meetings and on the fields.”
“It’s a beautiful facility in a beautiful part of Florida. We’re really excited about it,” Braves coach Walt Weiss said. “And we won’t have to spend half the spring on the bus. Everything about it is great.”
The facility will have state-of-the-art amenities to help players stay in condition and work on whatever medical needs they have.
“It’s 100 percent us, with more batting cages, more fields, not only in spring but all year round,” said Chip Moore, executive vice president of minor-league affiliates in spring training. “I think the players who come in will find these facilities quite nice.”
The biggest advantage is its central location with other teams, ending the need to travel by bus for hours for away games.
“We spent a lot of hours on the bus the last few years. The coaches can get their hands on the players better here,” Snitker said. “There are times when we can do our whole workout, get on the bus and play. It’s more conducive to get our work in.”
“We were spending five hours a day on buses. Now, being able to do your work in the morning is a better deal for these guys,” Moore said. “It’s great for the fans because they can catch a number of teams.”
“This stadium meets the needs of the modern player. The players will want for nothing, the fans are going to love this place and they did it right,” Braves broadcaster Chip Carey said. “Today’s player doesn’t want to sit in traffic for three hours. They can get their work in, play a game and go home. It’s a game-changer.”
About the only surprise was that the game was not a sellout at the 8,000-seat-capacity field. There were some empty seats along the foul poles and in the pavilion in right center field.The left field berm also had plenty of exposed grass. Attendance was 6,831.
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