ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves wasted little time in shaking off the rough seasonal start in Monday's home opener, scoring four first-inning runs off the mistake-prone Cubs (six errors in a single game) and cruising to a blowout victory (8-0).
Unfortunately, a large number of ticket-holders missed out on the Braves' early flurry and many others didn't even see Ronald Acuna Jr.'s mammoth solo homer in the third inning.
The reason? SunTrust Park officials apparently had difficulty getting the Opening Night crowd into the stadium in expedient fashion.
Even pre-designed express lines for loyal customers were seemingly slower-than-usual at the gates, sparking outrage among Braves and Cubs fans alike.
The apparent problems didn't end there.
On Twitter, SunTrust Park customers continually railed against the sluggish entry lines, long concession lines (especially with hot dogs) and the supposed problems with credit-card purchases.
In a statement to 11Alive, the Braves said they did not find any issues with the ticket-scanning system during last night's game, although there were "a few" credit card machine glitches they are working to correct.
Here's a small sampling of the social-media outrage:
Logistical problems typically occur at new stadiums. But heading into Year 3 at SunTrust Park, ticket-scanning/credit-card-reading malfunctions, or dealing with an unexpected crowd overflow, shouldn't be a regular occurrence.
For the record, SunTrust Park had a sellout crowd of 41,912 last night.
UBER/LYFT PROBLEMS
On a normal off day for the Braves, a one-way Uber ride from midtown Atlanta to The Battery might cost $10.38 (for regular app users).
For gamedays, however, that same trip typically soars into the $40-$45 range during the peak time of 90 minutes pregame ... to 30 minutes after the first pitch.
We're hearing reports of an all-time surge on Monday, relative to those trying to Uber/Lyft to SunTrust Park, in time for the Braves-Cubs opener.
In 2017, Braves fans were incensed with the lack of Uber/Lyft drop-off options around the stadium, but officials soon took care of this notion, establishing accessible pick-up spots along Windy Hill Parkway and Heritage Court (adjacent to Cobb Parkway).
UPDATE: 11Alive News has reached out to Uber Support for information about Monday's pricing surges. They plan to respond in a timely manner.
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