The ex-players gathered along the Turner Field baselines Friday night, and team president John Schuerholz noted that it was the largest gathering of ex-Braves.
“None of these pennants would be on this wall right here without them,” Schuerholz said, pointing to the flags hanging on the second-level facade in left field.
The next day, as several of those ex-players warmed up for the Braves Legends Softball Game, Chipper Jones pointed at one flag in particular: the 1995 World Series championship.
“There is only one red banner up there,” Jones said. “It’s only fitting that we acknowledge that group.”
For the sixth year in a row, the Braves welcomed their former players back for Alumni Weekend. More than 50 ex-players and coaches accepted the invitation. Like always they signed autographs, posed for picture and played in the softball game.
This year Alumni Weekend doubled as a tribute to the 1995 Braves. The members of that team participated in all of the usual activities, and they also starred in a parade of trucks on the field Saturday before the current Braves played the Marlins.
The bed of one of those trucks featured the three Hall of Fame pitchers from the ’95 team: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz.
“It’s kind of like you relive the special memories,” Maddux said. “Of course the stories change now. Everybody remembers something different. That’s kind of the beauty of it. You sit up there and start telling war stories and it’s not anything like what you remember. Time changes a lot of stories.”
Nothing will ever change the permanent record, though. The Braves won the World Series in 1995, and this was a weekend to celebrate them.
There are 19 pennants displayed at Turner Field. The division championship seasons have blue numbers on yellow flags. The four National League championship seasons that ended with World Series losses have red numbers, and there are two flags with white numbers designating NL wild-card berths.
And then there is the one red flag with “World Champions” emblazoned on the facade underneath.
“As many winning teams as we had, there is something special about finishing off and getting that ring,” said Steve Avery, who pitched for the Braves from 1990-96.
The moment it became official opened the tribute video for the 1995 team.
It was Oct. 28, 1995, in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Mark Wohlers delivered the pitch to Carlos Baerga, who hit a fly ball to left-center field. Marquis Grissom tracked down the ball and caught it, setting off a dog-pile celebration for the World Series champions.
“That was the best year ever,” Maddux said. “We probably could have had one or two more along the way, but we got one and it was a special year. I’m glad Marquis caught that ball in center field.”
It was the first championship for one of Atlanta’s major sports teams. It’s still the only one.
“Being a part of that is great,” said Mike Devereaux, the MVP of the 1995 NLCS. “It’s hard to put into words how special it is. When we saw each other for the first time, it brought back so many great memories to see everybody. When you win the World Series as a team, it’s a feeling that is very difficult to explain.”
Four hours before Marlins-Braves first pitch, fans were lined up outside of Turner Field for a chance to get replicas of the 1995 World Series rings. Once through the gates they hustled for autographs and took their seats for the softball game featuring the ’95 Braves vs. ex-Braves from other seasons.
Before the first pitch, the teams lined up for a picture. Ex-players, ex-coaches and Schuerholz gathered for the ’95 Braves portrait, but there was one big problem: ex-manager Bobby Cox was nowhere to be found.
The reunited team took a picture without Cox and, just as they dispersed to the dugout, Cox showed up. The photographer asked the players if they wanted to reassemble for a picture that included Cox, their Hall of Fame skipper.
They did, of course.
There wasn’t any managing to be done in this game, but Cox stuck around long enough to relay a message to his old players.
“Don’t get hurt out here, guys,” Cox said.
No one did, though there was a collision the third inning.
Jones hit a line drive over the temporary fence in left field. Charles Thomas, an outfielder on the 2004 Braves, crashed through the barrier as the ball sailed over his head for a home run.
Thomas was fine and, in fact, Jones seemed to be in worse shape following his home run trot. He was still trying to catch his breath when he did an interview that was shown on the stadium video board.
“Running bases is hard,” Jones said.
Jones would go on to hit go-ahead home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift his team to victory. The fans at Turner Field cheered. It felt like old times.
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