Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Cobb County is stepping up to the plate to host Major League Baseball All-Star Week, starting with the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) Swingman Classic on Friday, July 11. The five-day extravaganza also includes the Home Run Derby, interactive fan experiences and a 4.4-mile race honoring the late Braves slugger Hank Aaron. All the events culminate in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15.

Photo credit: MLB.com

Home to the Atlanta Braves, Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta – and now host of the All-Star lineup  – Cobb County is ready for the biggest baseball spotlight in Georgia. The Battery has installed new LED screens and expanded restrooms to get ready for the influx of fans. But it’s not the only place in our state where America’s Pastime brings people together and boosts the local economy.

Four Minor League affiliates of the Atlanta Braves are scattered throughout Georgia. The Triple-A affiliate is the Gwinnett Stripers. Many high-profile Braves including Ronald Acuña and Austin Riley once played for the Stripers, based in Lawrenceville. The Double-A affiliate for the Braves, which relocated to Georgia this year from Mississippi, is the state’s newest Minor League team, the Columbus Clingstones. The team’s Single-A affiliate, which plays just over the state line in North Augusta, South Carolina, is the Augusta GreenJackets. And the High-A affiliate of the Braves is Rome Emperors. Formerly the Rome Braves, the team was rebranded as the Emperors in 2023, and its new mascot is an emperor penguin.

In Bibb County, the Macon Bacon is made up of college players who play for the middle Georgia team during their summer break.

Outside of the Braves, probably the most talked about team in the state is the Savannah Bananas. Known for dancing during games and other antics, the exhibition team is drawing crowds and generating headlines. It sold out stadiums with as many as 81,000 people during its World Tour, showcasing its unique style of baseball called Banana Ball. Its unorthodox rules include things like no bunting, two-hour game limits and foul balls caught by fans being counted as outs. A 2023 article in People calls the Bananas “one of the great sports success stories in recent years.”

With baseball being played in various parts of the state, there’s no excuse not to go to a game and hear those exciting words: Play ball!