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1997 Atlanta Braves season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Atlanta Braves |
| season | 1997 |
| misc | National League East champions |
| league | National League |
| division | East |
| ballpark | Turner Field |
| city | Atlanta |
| record | 101–61 (.623) |
| divisional_place | 1st |
| owners | Time Warner |
| general_managers | John Schuerholz |
| managers | Bobby Cox |
| television | WTBS |
| TBS Superstation | |
| (Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton, Joe Simpson) | |
| SportSouth | |
| (Tim Brando, Ernie Johnson, Bob Rathbun) | |
| radio | WSB (AM) |
| (Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton, Joe Simpson) |
TBS Superstation (Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton, Joe Simpson) SportSouth (Tim Brando, Ernie Johnson, Bob Rathbun) (Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton, Joe Simpson) |}} The 1997 Atlanta Braves season marked the franchise's 32nd season in Atlanta and 127th overall. The Braves entered the season as defending National League champions, having lost the 1996 World Series to the Yankees in 6 games. They won their seventh consecutive division title, taking the National League East by 9 games over the second place Florida Marlins. However, the Marlins would later defeat the Braves in the NLCS. 1997 was the first year that the Braves played their home games in Turner Field, a reconstruction of the former Centennial Olympic Stadium, which originally served as the main venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Off season
- November 20, 1996: John Smoltz was signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves.
- November 25, 1996: Paul Byrd was traded by the New York Mets with a player to be named later to the Atlanta Braves for Greg McMichael. The New York Mets sent Andy Zwirchitz (minors) (May 25, 1997) to the Atlanta Braves to complete the trade.
- December 19, 1996: Mike Bielecki was signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves.
- March 25, 1997: Kenny Lofton was traded by the Cleveland Indians with Alan Embree to the Atlanta Braves for Marquis Grissom and David Justice.
Regular season
The first game at Turner Field took place on April 4, 1997, with Denny Neagle making the start for the Braves.
Opening day starters
- Kenny Lofton – CF
- Mark Lemke – 2B
- Chipper Jones – 3B
- Fred McGriff – 1B
- Ryan Klesko – LF
- Michael Tucker – RF
- Javy López – C
- Jeff Blauser – SS
- John Smoltz – P
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Roster
| 1997 Atlanta Braves |
|---|
| **Roster** |
| **Pitchers** |
Game log
|- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 || April 1 || @ Astros || 1–2 || Reynolds (1–0) || Smoltz (0–1) || Wagner (1) || 44,618 || 0–1 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 || April 2 || @ Astros || 3–4 || Hampton (1–0) || Maddux (0–1) || Wagner (2) || 16,308 || 0–2 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 || April 3 || @ Astros || 3–2 || Glavine (1–0) || Kile (0–1) || Wohlers (1) || 17,963 || 1–2 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 || April 4 || Cubs || 5–4 || Clontz (1–0) || Adams (0–1) || Wohlers (2) || 45,044 || 2–2 |- bgcolor="#cccccc" | – || April 5 || Cubs || colspan=7|Suspended (rain); completed April 6 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 || April 6 || Cubs || 11–5 || Smoltz (1–1) || Casian (0–1) || — || 45,698 || 3–2 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 || April 6 || Cubs || 4–0 || Maddux (1–1) || Mulholland (0–2) || — || 41,318 || 4–2 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 || April 8 || Astros || 4–2 || Glavine (2–0) || Hampton (1–1) || Wohlers (3) || 31,064 || 5–2 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 8 || April 9 || Astros || 4–3 (12) || Embree (1–0) || Lima (0–1) || — || 33,986 || 6–2 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 9 || April 10 || Astros || 3–5 || Holt (1–0) || Smoltz (1–2) || Hudek (1) || 33,637 || 6–3 |- bgcolor="#cccccc" | – || April 11 || @ Cubs || colspan=7|Postponed (snow); rescheduled for July 22 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 10 || April 12 || @ Cubs || 2–1 || Bielecki (1–0) || Patterson (0–1) || Wohlers (4) || 23,944 || 7–3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 11 || April 13 || @ Cubs || 6–4 || Clontz (2–0) || Wendell (0–1) || Wohlers (5) || 21,244 || 8–3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 12 || April 14 || Reds || 15–5 || Neagle (1–0) || Schourek (0–2) || — || 31,427 || 9–3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 13 || April 15 || Reds || 3–0 || Smoltz (2–2) || Mercker (1–1) || — || 31,962 || 10–3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 14 || April 16 || Reds || 7–1 || Byrd (1–0) || Smiley (1–3) || — || 38,411 || 11–3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 15 || April 18 || @ Rockies || 14–0 || Glavine (3–0) || Wright (2–1) || — || 48,070 || 12–3 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 16 || April 19 || @ Rockies || 8–7 || Neagle (2–0) || Ritz (1–3) || Bielecki (1) || 48,065 || 13–3 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 17 || April 20 || @ Rockies || 2–9 || Holmes (1–0) || Smoltz (2–3) || — || 48,155 || 13–4 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 18 || April 22 || @ Giants || 4–0 || Maddux (2–1) || Van Landingham (1–1) || — || 18,404 || 14–4 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 19 || April 23 || @ Giants || 3–4 || Henry (2–0) || Embree (1–1) || — || 17,050 || 14–5 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 20 || April 25 || Padres || 5–4 || Neagle (3–0) || Cunnane (0–1) || Wohlers (6) || 43,376 || 15–5 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 21 || April 26 || Padres || 3–2 (10) || Wohlers (1–0) || Hoffman (0–1) || — || 45,473 || 16–5 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 22 || April 27 || Padres || 2–0 (5) || Maddux (3–1) || Valenzuela (1–3) || — || 36,399 || 17–5 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 23 || April 28 || Dodgers || 14–0 || Glavine (4–0) || Martinez (2–2) || — || 28,357 || 18–5 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 24 || April 29 || Dodgers || 2–6 || Park (1–1) || Wade (0–1) || — || 35,442 || 18–6 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 25 || April 30 || @ Reds || 12–3 || Neagle (4–0) || Mercker (1–3) || — || 18,278 || 19–6 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 26 || May 1 || @ Reds || 4–2 || Smoltz (3–3) || Burba (3–3) || Wohlers (7) || 19,991 || 20–6 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 27 || May 2 || Pirates || 2–3 || Peters (1–0) || Bielecki (1–1) || Loiselle (1) || 37,577 || 20–7 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 28 || May 3 || Pirates || 0–3 || Loaiza (3–0) || Glavine (4–1) || Rincon (2) || 46,602 || 20–8 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 29 || May 4 || Pirates || 3–1 || Wade (1–1) || Cordova (1–3) || Wohlers (8) || 42,037 || 21–8 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 30 || May 5 || @ Cardinals || 2–1 || Neagle (5–0) || Al. Benes (3–3) || Wohlers (9) || 26,113 || 22–8 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 31 || May 6 || @ Cardinals || 3–4 || Mathews (1–1) || Bielecki (1–2) || Eckersley (7) || 28,620 || 22–9 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 32 || May 7 || @ Marlins || 3–2 (10) || Byrd (2–0) || Powell (0–1) || Bielecki (2) || 26,838 || 23–9 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 33 || May 8 || @ Marlins || 1–5 || Saunders (1–1) || Glavine (4–2) || — || 32,088 || 23–10 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 34 || May 9 || @ Pirates || 0–9 || Cordova (2–3) || Wade (1–2) || — || 18,006 || 23–11 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 35 || May 10 || @ Pirates || 9–3 || Neagle (6–0) || Lieber (1–4) || — || 34,143 || 24–11 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 36 || May 11 || @ Pirates || 8–2 || Smoltz (4–3) || Cooke (3–4) || — || 29,895 || 25–11 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 37 || May 12 || @ Pirates || 10–2 || Maddux (4–1) || Schmidt (1–2) || — || 12,114 || 26–11 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 38 || May 13 || Marlins || 5–11 || Saunders (2–1) || Wade (1–3) || — || 38,365 || 26–12 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 39 || May 14 || Marlins || 3–4 || Brown (4–2) || Bielecki (1–3) || Nen (10) || 38,902 || 26–13 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 40 || May 16 || Cardinals || 1–0 (13) || Borowski (1–0) || Frascatore (2–2) || — || 46,626 || 27–13 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 41 || May 17 || Cardinals || 11–6 || Smoltz (5–3) || Morris (1–2) || — || 48,366 || 28–13 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 42 || May 18 || Cardinals || 5–1 || Glavine (5–2) || An. Benes (2–2) || — || 35,046 || 29–13 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 43 || May 19 || Cardinals || 7–3 || Neagle (7–0) || Stottlemyre (2–3) || — || 33,497 || 30–13 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 44 || May 20 || Expos || 4–2 || Wade (2–3) || Hermanson (1–3) || Wohlers (10) || 38,278 || 31–13 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 45 || May 21 || Expos || 3–2 || Maddux (5–1) || Urbina (2–3) || — || 41,528 || 32–13 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 46 || May 23 || @ Dodgers || 4–2 || Smoltz (6–3) || Astacio (3–3) || Wohlers (11) || 38,735 || 33–13 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 47 || May 24 || @ Dodgers || 3–10 || Martinez (4–3) || Glavine (5–3) || — || 49,074 || 33–14 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 48 || May 25 || @ Dodgers || 0–2 || Valdez (3–5) || Neagle (7–1) || To. Worrell (13) || 40,417 || 33–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 49 || May 26 || @ Padres || 12–5 || Borowski (2–0) || Ti. Worrell (2–6) || — || 17,265 || 34–15 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 50 || May 27 || @ Padres || 9–2 || Maddux (6–1) || Hamilton (3–2) || — || 18,231 || 35–15 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 51 || May 29 || Giants || 2–4 || Estes (7–2) || Smoltz (6–4) || Beck (16) || 38,844 || 35–16 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 52 || May 30 || Giants || 3–2 || Wohlers (2–0) || Henry (2–1) || — || 45,181 || 36–16 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 53 || May 31 || Giants || 4–6 || Poole (2–0) || Borowski (2–1) || Beck (17) || 46,445 || 36–17 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 54 || June 1 || Giants || 4–3 || Bielecki (2–3) || Poole (2–1) || Wohlers (12) || 46,501 || 37–17 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 55 || June 2 || Padres || 4–5 || Murray (1–0) || Maddux (6–2) || Hoffman (9) || 33,659 || 37–18 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 56 || June 3 || Padres || 2–5 || Smith (1–0) || Wohlers (2–1) || Hoffman (10) || 41,902 || 37–19 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 57 || June 4 || @ Expos || 6–3 || Glavine (6–3) || Juden (5–2) || — || 16,429 || 38–19 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 58 || June 5 || @ Expos || 9–0 || Neagle (8–1) || Hermanson (2–4) || — || 12,212 || 39–19 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 59 || June 6 || @ Giants || 9–5 || Byrd (3–0) || Roa (1–4) || — || 16,948 || 40–19 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 60 || June 7 || @ Giants || 5–2 || Maddux (7–2) || Henry (2–2) || Wohlers (13) || 30,440 || 41–19 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 61 || June 8 || @ Giants || 3–5 || Poole (3–1) || Smoltz (6–5) || Beck (19) || 36,689 || 41–20 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 62 || June 9 || @ Rockies || 3–8 || Bailey (6–5) || Glavine (6–4) || — || 48,047 || 41–21 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 63 || June 10 || @ Rockies || 8–3 || Neagle (9–1) || Ritz (5–5) || — || 48,103 || 42–21 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 64 || June 11 || @ Rockies || 6–9 || Thomson (2–4) || Clontz (2–1) || — || 48,633 || 42–22 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 65 || June 13 || Orioles || 3–4 || Key (11–1) || Maddux (7–3) || Myers (21) || 48,334 || 42–23 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 66 || June 14 || Orioles || 4–6 (12) || Rhodes (4–2) || Borowski (2–2) || Myers (22) || 47,344 || 42–24 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 67 || June 15 || Orioles || 3–5 (10) || Mathews (1–1) || Wohlers (2–2) || Myers (23) || 48,088 || 42–25 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 68 || June 16 || @ Blue Jays || 3–0 || Neagle (10–1) || Clemens (11–2) || — || 34,409 || 43–25 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 69 || June 17 || @ Blue Jays || 8–7 || Maddux (8–3) || Andujar (0–3) || Wohlers (14) || 31,356 || 44–25 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 70 || June 18 || @ Blue Jays || 3–5 || Williams (2–6) || Smoltz (6–6) || Timlin (6) || 31,717 || 44–26 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 71 || June 20 || @ Phillies || 4–1 || Glavine (7–4) || Leiter (4–8) || — || 20,648 || 45–26 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 72 || June 21 || @ Phillies || 9–8 || Clontz (3–1) || Blazier (0–1) || Wohlers (15) || 24,309 || 46–26 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 73 || June 22 || @ Phillies || 12–5 || Maddux (9–3) || Stephenson (2–3) || — || 25,534 || 47–26 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 74 || June 23 || @ Mets || 2–3 || Reed (5–4) || Smoltz (6–7) || — || 22,193 || 47–27 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 75 || June 24 || @ Mets || 5–6 || McMichael (4–6) || Wohlers (2–3) || — || 26,663 || 47–28 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 76 || June 25 || @ Mets || 14–7 || Glavine (8–4) || Jones (12–4) || — || 27,980 || 48–28 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 77 || June 26 || Phillies || 5–4 || Neagle (11–1) || Beech (0–3) || Wohlers (16) || 41,762 || 49–28 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 78 || June 27 || Phillies || 7–1 || Maddux (10–3) || Stephenson (2–4) || — || 48,234 || 50–28 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 79 || June 28 || Phillies || 9–1 || Smoltz (7–7) || Schilling (9–7) || — || 48,557 || 51–28 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 80 || June 29 || Phillies || 6–5 || Bielecki (3–3) || Brewer (0–1) || Wohlers (17) || 47,902 || 52–28 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 81 || June 30 || @ Yankees || 0–1 (10) || Stanton (5–0) || Bielecki (3–4) || — || 39,887 || 52–29 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 82 || July 1 || @ Yankees || 3–1 || Neagle (12–1) || Mendoza (3–3) || Wohlers (18) || 39,596 || 53–29 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 83 || July 2 || @ Yankees || 2–0 || Maddux (11–3) || Gooden (3–1) || — || 36,606 || 54–29 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 84 || July 3 || @ Expos || 15–2 || Smoltz (8–7) || Bullinger (5–8) || — || 18,064 || 55–29 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 85 || July 4 || @ Expos || 6–3 || Clontz (4–1) || Urbina (2–6) || Wohlers (19) || 19,939 || 56–29 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 86 || July 5 || @ Expos || 5–3 || Glavine (9–4) || Martinez (10–4) || Wohlers (20) || 24,788 || 57–29 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 87 || July 6 || @ Expos || 2–6 || Juden (11–2) || Neagle (12–2) || — || 21,316 || 57–30 |- bgcolor="bbcaff" |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 88 || July 10 || Mets || 7–10 || McMichael (5–6) || Bielecki (3–5) || Franco (21) || 47,685 || 57–31 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 89 || July 11 || Mets || 7–9 || Lidle (4–1) || Glavine (9–5) || Franco (22) || 40,094 || 57–32 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 90 || July 12 || Mets || 7–4 || Maddux (12–3) || Clark (7–6) || Wohlers (21) || 48,091 || 58–32 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 91 || July 13 || Mets || 6–7 (10) || McMichael (6–6) || Bielecki (3–6) || Franco (23) || 42,111 || 58–33 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 92 || July 14 || Phillies || 10–6 || Millwood (1–0) || Brewer (0–2) || Wohlers (22) || 38,118 || 59–33 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 93 || July 15 || Phillies || 1–8 || Stephenson (3–4) || Smoltz (8–8) || — || 39,494|| 59–34 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 94 || July 16 || Rockies || 2–1 || Glavine (10–5) || Dipoto (3–2) || Wohlers (23) || 48,400 || 60–34 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 95 || July 17 || Rockies || 8–2 || Maddux (13–3) || Swift (4–3) || — || 48,024 || 61–34 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 96 || July 18 || Dodgers || 4–1 || Neagle (13–2) || Reyes (1–1) || Wohlers (24) || 48,721 || 62–34 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 97 || July 19 || Dodgers || 1–4 || Astacio (6–7) || Millwood (1–1) || Radinsky (1) || 49,758 || 62–35 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 98 || July 20 || Dodgers || 3–8 || Park (8–5) || Smoltz (8–9) || — || 48,414 || 62–36 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 99 || July 21 || Dodgers || 5–4 (10) || Embree (2–1) || Dreifort (3–1) || — || 49,318 || 63–36 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 100 || July 22 (1) || @ Cubs || 4–1 || Maddux (14–3) || Gonzales (7–3) || — || N/A || 64–36 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 101 || July 22 (2) || @ Cubs || 4–5 || Bottenfield (2–2) || Cather (0–1) || Rojas (12) || 31,804 || 64–37 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 102 || July 23 || @ Cubs || 1–3 || Tapani (1–0) || Millwood (1–2) || Rojas (13) || 34,230 || 64–38 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 103 || July 25 || @ Reds || 7–3 || Smoltz (9–9) || Schourek (5–6) || — || 34,931 || 65–38 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 104 || July 26 || @ Reds || 6–7 (11) || Shaw (3–0) || Wohlers (2–4) || — || 33,115 || 65–39 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 105 || July 27 || @ Reds || 3–2 || Maddux (15–3) || Burba (6–10) || Wohlers (25) || 30,167 || 66–39 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 106 || July 28 || Cubs || 6–0 || Neagle (14–2) || Tapani (1–1) || — || 47,266 || 67–39 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 107 || July 29 || Cubs || 7–2 || Millwood (2–2) || Trachsel (5–9) || — || 44,131 || 68–39 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 108 || July 30 || Cubs || 6–5 || Embree (3–1) || Rojas (0–4) || — || 43,090 || 69–39 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 109 || July 31 || @ Marlins || 0–1 || Saunders (3–3) || Byrd (3–1) || Nen (27) || 18,409 || 69–40 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 110 || August 1 || @ Marlins || 2–3 (12) || Powell (2–2) || Cather (0–2) || — || 40,669 || 69–41 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 111 || August 2 || @ Marlins || 4–2 || Neagle (15–2) || Leiter (8–7) || Wohlers (26) || 41,643 || 70–41 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 112 || August 3 || @ Marlins || 4–8 || Fernandez (13–8) || Millwood (2–3) || — || 41,193 || 70–42 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 113 || August 4 || @ Pirates || 6–0 || Smoltz (10–9) || Cooke (8–11) || — || 21,609 || 71–42 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 114 || August 5 || @ Pirates || 4–5 || Schmidt (7–6) || Glavine (10–6) || Loiselle (18) || 20,069 || 71–43 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 115 || August 6 || Cardinals || 4–3 || Wohlers (3–4) || Petkovsek (4–5) || — || 46,880 || 72–43 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 116 || August 7 || Cardinals || 3–0 || Neagle (16–2) || Stottlemyre (11–8) || Wohlers (27) || 46,687 || 73–43 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 117 || August 8 || Marlins || 4–6 || Fernandez (14–8) || Byrd (3–2) || Nen (28) || 49,335 || 73–44 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 118 || August 9 || Marlins || 4–3 || Smoltz (11–9) || Stanifer (1–1) || Wohlers (28) || 47,552 || 74–44 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 119 || August 10 || Marlins || 2–4 (10) || Powell (3–2) || Bielecki (3–7) || Nen (29) || 47,649 || 74–45 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 120 || August 11 || Marlins || 2–1 || Wohlers (4–4) || Heredia (4–2) || — || 47,870 || 75–45 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 121 || August 12 || Pirates || 2–5 || Sodowsky (2–2) || Wohlers (4–5) || Loiselle (19) || 42,435 || 75–46 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 122 || August 13 || Pirates || 1–2 || Lieber (7–12) || Smoltz (11–10) || Loiselle (20) || 40,793 || 75–47 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 123 || August 15 || @ Cardinals || 2–3 (12) || King (1–0) || Cather (0–3) || — || 43,863 || 75–48 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 124 || August 16 || @ Cardinals || 5–3 || Maddux (16–3) || Morris (8–8) || Wohlers (29) || 47,229 || 76–48 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 125 || August 17 || @ Cardinals || 1–3 || King (2–0) || Neagle (16–3) || Eckersley (29) || 40,968 || 76–49 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 126 || August 19 || @ Astros || 4–3 || Smoltz (12–10) || Hampton (10–8) || Wohlers (30) || 32,145 || 77–49 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 127 || August 20 || @ Astros || 3–1 || Glavine (11–6) || Reynolds (6–8) || Wohlers (31) || 25,593 || 78–49 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 128 || August 22 || Reds || 6–2 || Maddux (17–3) || Remlinger (6–5) || — || 48,937 || 79–49 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 129 || August 23 || Reds || 10–3 || Neagle (17–3) || Tomko (8–5) || — || 48,499 || 80–49 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 130 || August 24 || Reds || 4–6 (10) || Shaw (4–2) || Fox (0–1) || Belinda (1) || 45,577 || 80–50 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 131 || August 26 || Astros || 7–6 (11) || Clontz (5–1) || Wagner (7–6) || — || 37,313 || 81–50 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 132 || August 27 || Astros || 4–6 (13) || Hudek (1–2) || Byrd (3–3) || Lima (2) || 33,019 || 81–51 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 133 || August 28 || Astros || 4–2 || Neagle (18–3) || Kile (17–4) || Wohlers (32) || 37,849 || 82–51 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 134 || August 29 || @ Red Sox || 9–1 || Smoltz (13–10) || Sele (12–11) || — || 32,577 || 83–51 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 135 || August 30 || @ Red Sox || 15–2 || Millwood (3–3) || Wakefield (9–15) || — || 32,865 || 84–51 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 136 || August 31 || @ Red Sox || 7–3 || Glavine (12–6) || Avery (6–6) || — || 33,147 || 85–51 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 137 || September 1 || Tigers || 2–4 || Moehler (9–10) || Maddux (17–4) || T. Jones (26) || 38,950 || 85–52 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 138 || September 2 || Tigers || 5–0 || Neagle (19–3) || Keagle (1–4) || — || 32,308 || 86–52 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 139 || September 3 || Tigers || 4–12 || Blair (15–6) || Smoltz (13–11) || — || 36,556 || 86–53 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 140 || September 4 || @ Padres || 8–7 (11) || Wohlers (5–5) || Worrell (3–8) || — || 12,804 || 87–53 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 141 || September 5 || @ Padres || 2–6 || Ashby (8–10) || Glavine (12–7) || — || 21,492 || 87–54 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 142 || September 6 || @ Padres || 9–1 || Maddux (18–4) || Hitchcock (10–9) || — || 32,099 || 88–54 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 143 || September 7 || @ Padres || 4–0 || Neagle (20–3) || Hamilton (10–6) || — || 21,052 || 89–54 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 144 || September 9 || @ Dodgers || 4–3 || Smoltz (14–11) || Valdez (9–11) || Wohlers (33) || 37,270 || 90–54 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 145 || September 10 || @ Dodgers || 7–0 || Glavine (13–7) || R. Martinez (9–4) || — || 41,564 || 91–54 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 146 || September 12 || Rockies || 1–3 || Munoz (3–3) || Wohlers (5–6) || Dipoto (14) || 47,772 || 91–55 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 147 || September 13 || Rockies || 6–10 || Holmes (8–2) || Cather (0–4) || DeJean (2) || 49,097 || 91–56 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 148 || September 14 || Rockies || 0–4 || Astacio (11–9) || Smoltz (14–12) || — || 46,245 || 91–57 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 149 || September 15 || Giants || 5–4 || Ligtenberg (1–0) || Beck (5–4) || — || 38,641 || 92–57 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 150 || September 16 || Giants || 6–4 || Millwood (4–3) || Alvarez (12–11) || — || 37,661 || 93–57 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 151 || September 17 || Mets || 10–2 || Maddux (19–4) || B. Jones (14–9) || — || 40,974 || 94–57 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 152 || September 18 || Mets || 11–4 || Byrd (4–3) || Isringhausen (2–2) || — || 41,373 || 95–57 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 153 || September 19 || Expos || 2–1 || Smoltz (15–12) || Perez (12–12) || — || 47,156 || 96–57 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 154 || September 20 || Expos || 3–1 || Glavine (14–7) || P. Martinez (17–8) || — || 48,147 || 97–57 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 155 || September 21 || Expos || 1–7 || DeHart (2–1) || Neagle (20–4) || — || 47,179 || 97–58 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 156 || September 22 || Expos || 3–2 (11) || Cather (1–4) || Bennett (0–1) || — || 41,268 || 98–58 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 157 || September 23 || @ Phillies || 6–0 || Millwood (5–3) || Leiter (10–17) || — || 14,264 || 99–58 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 158 || September 24 || @ Phillies || 1–5 || Stephenson (8–6) || Byrd (4–4) || — || 16,772 || 99–59 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 159 || September 25 || @ Phillies || 3–2 (10) || Cather (2–4) || Spradlin (3–8) || Clontz (1) || 15,030 || 100–59 |- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 160 || September 26 || @ Mets || 7–6 (11) || LeRoy (1–0) || Rojas (0–6) || Ligtenberg (1) || 21,864 || 101–59 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 161 || September 27 || @ Mets || 1–2 || Crawford (4–3) || Wohlers (5–7) || — || 31,472 || 101–60 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 162 || September 28 || @ Mets || 2–8 || Acevedo (3–1) || Neagle (20–5) || — || 27,176 || 101–61 |- | Legend: = Win = Loss Bold = Braves team member
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Javy López | 123 | 414 | 122 | .295 | 23 | 68 |
| 1B | Fred McGriff | 152 | 564 | 156 | .277 | 22 | 97 |
| 2B | Mark Lemke | 109 | 351 | 86 | .245 | 2 | 26 |
| SS | Jeff Blauser | 151 | 519 | 160 | .308 | 17 | 70 |
| 3B | Chipper Jones | 157 | 597 | 176 | .295 | 21 | 111 |
| LF | Ryan Klesko | 143 | 467 | 122 | .261 | 24 | 84 |
| CF | Kenny Lofton | 122 | 493 | 164 | .333 | 5 | 48 |
| RF | Michael Tucker | 138 | 499 | 141 | .283 | 14 | 56 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andruw Jones | 153 | 399 | 92 | .231 | 18 | 70 |
| Eddie Pérez | 73 | 191 | 41 | .215 | 6 | 18 |
| Tony Graffanino | 104 | 186 | 48 | .258 | 8 | 20 |
| Keith Lockhart | 96 | 147 | 41 | .279 | 6 | 32 |
| Danny Bautista | 64 | 103 | 25 | .243 | 3 | 9 |
| Mike Mordecai | 61 | 81 | 14 | .173 | 0 | 3 |
| Rafael Belliard | 72 | 71 | 15 | .211 | 1 | 3 |
| Greg Colbrunn | 28 | 54 | 15 | .278 | 2 | 9 |
| Tommy Gregg | 13 | 19 | 5 | .263 | 0 | 0 |
| Randall Simon | 13 | 14 | 6 | .429 | 0 | 1 |
| Tim Spehr | 8 | 14 | 3 | .214 | 1 | 4 |
| Greg Myers | 9 | 9 | 1 | .111 | 0 | 1 |
| Ed Giovanola | 14 | 8 | 2 | .250 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note; G = Games pitched, IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Smoltz | 35 | 256.0 | 15 | 12 | 3.02 | 241 |
| Tom Glavine | 33 | 240.0 | 14 | 7 | 2.96 | 152 |
| Denny Neagle | 34 | 233.1 | 20 | 5 | 2.97 | 172 |
| Greg Maddux | 33 | 232.2 | 19 | 4 | 2.20 | 177 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Millwood | 12 | 51.1 | 5 | 3 | 4.03 | 42 |
| Terrell Wade | 12 | 42.0 | 2 | 3 | 5.36 | 35 |
| Chris Brock | 7 | 30.2 | 0 | 0 | 5.58 | 16 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Wohlers | 71 | 5 | 7 | 33 | 3.50 | 92 |
| Alan Embree | 66 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.54 | 45 |
| Brad Clontz | 51 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3.75 | 42 |
| Mike Bielecki | 50 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 4.08 | 60 |
| Mike Cather | 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2.39 | 29 |
| Paul Byrd | 31 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5.26 | 37 |
| Chad Fox | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.29 | 28 |
| Joe Borowski | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3.75 | 6 |
| Kerry Ligtenberg | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.00 | 19 |
| John LeRoy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 |
Turner Field

In 1997, the Braves moved into Turner Field. The ballpark was built across the street from the former home of the Braves, Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, which was demolished in the summer of 1997.
The most popular name choice among Atlanta residents for the new stadium at the time of its construction (according to a poll in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) was Hank Aaron Stadium. After the ballpark was instead named after Ted Turner, the city of Atlanta renamed the section of Capitol Avenue on which the stadium sits Hank Aaron Drive, giving Turner Field the street number 755, after Aaron's home run total.
After the 1996 Summer Olympics were complete the stadium was officially given as a gift to the Atlanta National League Baseball Club, Inc. (the Atlanta Braves) Ted Turner, then owner of the Braves, agreed to pay a large sum of the cost to build Centennial Olympic Stadium (approximately $170 million of the $209 million bill), if in turn, the stadium was built in a way that it could be converted to a new baseball stadium and that the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) paid for the conversion. This was considered a good agreement for both the Olympic Committee and the Braves, because there would be no use for a permanent 85,000 seat track and field stadium in Downtown Atlanta (as the 71,000 seat Georgia Dome was completed four years earlier by the state of Georgia) and the Braves had already been exploring opportunities for a new stadium.
Postseason
Game log
|- bgcolor="ccffcc" | 1 || September 30 || Astros || 2–1 || Maddux (1–0) || Kile (0–1) || — || 46,467 || 1–0 |- bgcolor="ccffcc" | 2 || October 1 || Astros || 13–3 || Glavine (1–0) || Hampton (0–1) || — || 49,200 || 2–0 |- bgcolor="ccffcc" | 3 || October 3 || @ Astros || 4–1 || Smoltz (1–0) || Reynolds (0–1) || — || 53,688 || 3–0 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 1 || October 7 || Marlins || 3–5 || Brown (1–0) || Maddux (1–1) || Nen (1) || 49,244 || 0–1 |- bgcolor="ccffcc" | 2 || October 8 || Marlins || 7–1 || Glavine (2–0) || Fernandez (1–1) || — || 48,933 || 1–1 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 3 || October 10 || @ Marlins || 2–5 || Hernandez (1–0) || Smoltz (1–1) || Nen (2) || 53,857 || 1–2 |- bgcolor="ccffcc" | 4 || October 11 || @ Marlins || 4–0 || Neagle (1–0) || Leiter (0–1) || — || 54,890 || 2–2 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 5 || October 12 || @ Marlins || 1–2 || Hernandez (2–0) || Maddux (1–2) || — || 51,982 || 2–3 |- bgcolor="ffcccc" | 6 || October 14 || Marlins || 4–7 || Brown (2–0) || Glavine (2–1) || — || 50,446 || 2–4
Farm system
References
References
- "John Smoltz Stats".
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/byrdpa01.shtml Paul Byrd Statistics] Baseball-Reference.com
- "Mike Bielecki Stats".
- 100 Things Braves Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die: Revised and Updated, Jack Wilkinson, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2019, ISBN 978-1-62937-694-3, p.140
- Sandomir, Richard. (July 30, 1996). "At Close of Games, Braves Will Move Into Olympic Stadium". The New York Times.
- Kendrick, Scott. "Turner Field". About.com.
- Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
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