Foster: When Atlanta’s stadium caught fire and the Braves did too

From SABR member Jason Foster at The Sporting News on July 20, 2017:

Atlanta caught fire in two ways on July 20, 1993.

First, a couple of hours before the Braves’ game against the Cardinals — during batting practice, in fact — part of the stadium’s press box burst into flames when a food-heating unit ruptured, leading to a scary inferno of bangs and explosions that delayed the game by two hours.

Entering the day’s play, the Braves, two-time defending NL West champions, were 53-41 and in second place, nine games behind the Giants for the division lead. To try to chip away at the lead, the Braves traded for slugger Fred McGriff, who had been in a Braves uniform only a few hours when the press box fire erupted.

Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/atlanta-fulton-county-stadium-fire-braves-cardinals-video-july-20-1993-fred-mcgriff-home-run/15jhcbddq5op21h2sfm41p8whc



Originally published: July 20, 2017. Last Updated: July 20, 2017.