The last time the Braves gathered at Truist Park, the setup felt more like the Academy Awards than a baseball game.
The champagne flowed freely, and the outfield was decorated with red carpet. Amid the fanfare, players and coaches entered one-by-one from the outfield, with their families beside them, and strolled the carpet to a podium placed at second base.
It was parade day for the 2021 Braves, who assembled for the final time to commemorate their World Series championship Nov. 5. Three days earlier, the Braves completed their borderline inconceivable run by defeating the Astros 7-0 in Game 6 of the World Series.
“Atlanta, the crowd you brought today was unreal,” third baseman Austin Riley said when handed the microphone. “I’m thinking Round 2 next year. What do you say?”
Welcome to the beginning of Round 2: The Braves’ title defense opened Thursday evening when the team hosted the Cincinnati Reds. It came 153 days after that alcohol-drenched afternoon at Truist Park. This isn’t the same group of Braves as last season, but it sure seems to have a shot at the same result.
No team has repeated as World Series champions in 22 years. The Braves are going against the odds in that respect. Yet their confidence reflects the city’s excitement. These aren’t the Braves of old. They got over that oft-mentioned hump. They look like a powerhouse. They know it. Their fans know it.
The jubilation of last season’s run, and the hope that this season brings, created an extravaganza Thursday. As one would expect, World Series banners and signage decorated The Battery Atlanta. There was a Braves Walk down Battery Avenue at 4:30 p.m., three hours before the on-field ceremonies began.
“What a beautiful evening,” manager Brian Snitker said. “The guys have been looking forward to this. I know I have for quite a while now. It’s going to be a fun weekend. … I want them to enjoy everything about this. You’re never guaranteed to do what we did. You’re never guaranteed that you’ll get to experience this again. So enjoy every second of it.
“I think (the atmosphere Thursday is) going to be wild. This place is going to be packed and rocking like it does. I was telling one of the guys, it’ll probably be a lot like the World Series was out there. The whole area. I think there’s going to be a lot of energy in this building tonight.”
The Braves’ biggest offseason addition was first baseman Matt Olson, an Atlanta native and Parkview High School graduate who readied for his first game in his hometown since high school. Olson’s take on the festivities: “I’m going to have a front-row seat of what I want to accomplish.”
Before the Braves took the field, parachutists arrived with championship banners as Queen’s “We Are The Champions” serenaded fans. The 2021 World Series pennant was unveiled. Hall of Famer Chipper Jones threw out the first pitch. Timothy Miller sang the national anthem, an indelible part of any celebrated Braves home game.
When all the pregame celebration concluded, “Round 2″ officially began. And the Braves turned their attention fully forward.
“You have to (enjoy it),” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “It’s an accomplishment, an achievement we had last year. But by the same token, you have to compartmentalize. The banner, the ring ceremony (Saturday), The Battery walk-through, and understand you have a job to do and you have to compete.
“That’s one of my favorite things about this group of guys. It’s all about the competition. I think that’s why we’ve been so successful in the past and why we’re hopeful this year will be the same thing.”
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