 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | July 3, 2016 (2016-07-03) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Fort Bragg Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City | Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Umpires | HP:Alfonso Márquez 1B:Larry Vanover[a] 2B:David Rackley 3B:Chris Guccione | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 12,582 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonial first pitch | SFC Corey Calkins,US Army[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Television | ESPN | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TV announcers | Dan Shulman (play-by-play) Aaron Boone (analyst) Jessica Mendoza (analyst) Buster Olney (reporter) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Radio | ESPN Radio,ESPN Deportes Radio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TheFort Bragg Game was aMajor League Baseball (MLB)specialty game played on July 3, 2016 between theMiami Marlins andAtlanta Braves of theNational League. It was held atFort Bragg, North Carolina, United States, becoming the first regular season professional sports event ever held on an active U.S. military base, and the first MLB game played in the state. The game was broadcast onSunday Night Baseball onESPN. The Marlins defeated the Braves, 5–2. After the game, thegrandstands were removed, and the field became a multi-use sporting ground.
In 2015,Major League Baseball (MLB) approached theUnited States Department of Defense with an idea to host a regular season MLB game at a military base.[1] The following March, MLBCommissionerRob Manfred publicly announced that theMiami Marlins andAtlanta Braves would play a regular season game at Fort Bragg on July 3, 2016, the day beforeIndependence Day, to honor the nation's military.[2] MLB and theMLB Players Association spent $5 million to convert an unused golf course on the base into a stadium with a capacity of 12,500.[3] Tickets for the game were free to military personnel and their families through a lottery system.[1]
The Fort Bragg Game became the first regular season professional sporting event to ever be held on an active military base,[4] and the first MLB regular season game ever held in the state of North Carolina.[5] The game aired onESPN as part of theirSunday Night Baseball coverage.Dan Shulman providedplay-by-play, whileJessica Mendoza andAaron Boone served as analysts andBuster Olney as a game reporter. ESPN also distributed the game onESPN Radio,ESPN Deportes, andESPN Deportes Radio.[6]
Before the game, players visited theWomack Army Medical Center. Manfred,Joe Torre, and MLBPA DirectorTony Clark visited the localFisher House.[7] A baseball clinic for over 200 children was held on July 2.[8] After the game, the grounds was converted into a softball field and multipurpose recreational complex for active duty personnel.[9]
MLB allowed each team to carry an additional position player on their active roster; the Braves called upRonnier Mustelier from theTriple-AGwinnett Braves, while the Marlins called upYefri Pérez from theDouble-AJacksonville Suns.[10] Neither player appeared in the game and Mustelier never played in a game in Major League Baseball.
The Braves served as the home team, while the Marlins were the visitors.Adam Conley was the starting pitcher for Miami, andMatt Wisler started for Atlanta. The game was scoreless through four innings. In the fifth inning,Adeiny Hechavarria hit a lead-off triple and scored on a single byJ. T. Realmuto, who later scored on a single byChristian Yelich. In the bottom of the fifth, the Braves loaded the bases but did not score.[8]
The Marlins scored three more runs in the final three innings; Realmuto scored on an RBI single byMartin Prado in the seventh inning,Giancarlo Stanton hit a lead-off triple and scored on a sacrifice fly byDerek Dietrich in the eighth, and Realmuto hit a solo home run in the ninth. The Braves scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth whenErick Aybar hit a double that scoredTyler Flowers, andA. J. Pierzynski hit a sacrifice fly that scoredJeff Francoeur, but were unable to narrow the gap further. The win increased Miami's win–loss record to 43–39 (.524winning percentage),6+1⁄2 games behind theWashington Nationals in theNational League East and1+1⁄2 games out of awild card slot. The loss dropped the Braves to 28–54 (.341), the worst record in MLB.[8]
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Marlins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlanta Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WP:Adam Conley (5–5) LP:Matt Wisler (3–8) Home runs: Away:J. T. Realmuto (5) Home: None Attendance: 12,582 Time: 2:59 Umpires:Alfonso Márquez,Larry Vanover,David Rackley,Chris Guccione | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pitching
|
Pitching
|
Zack Hample, a baseball collector who is not active duty military personnel, sought a ticket to the game onsocial media, offering to pay up to $1,000 for a ticket.[11] Hample received a ticket from a military personnel that had a "plus-one" ticket and announced that he would donate $100 for every ball he collected to a charity for military veterans.[12] Hample claimed to have caught 11 balls and claimed he would donate $1,100 toAMVETS.[13] After he came under widespread criticism for taking a ticket to a game that was meant for military personnel, he posted a lengthy apology onTwitter, whichCBS sportswriter Mike Axisa stated "boils down to 'I'm sorry but Ireally wanted to go.'"[14][13]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franchise | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ballparks |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Culture | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lore |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rivalries | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key personnel |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Championships (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National League Championships (18) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World's Championship Series Championships (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National Association Championships (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division titles (23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wild card berths (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minor league affiliates |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
