ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves postseason hopes now turn to a city known for its unbridled sports passion.
A crowd of Braves fans gathered at Truist Park Tuesday afternoon to see the team depart for Philadelphia. The Braves and Phillies are now tied at a game apiece in their best-of-five National League Division Series. The team needs at least one win in Philly to keep the series going.
Historically, Philadelphia has been a challenging place for opposing fans. At one time, the environment was downright hostile.
“It’s a kinder gentler Philadelphia fan base than I remember before I moved to Atlanta in ’95,” said John Kincade, who hosts the John Kincade Show on Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic.
Before moving back to his hometown, Kincade spent 28 years working for Atlanta’s 680 The Fan. He remembers when Philadelphia’s sports passion would run so wild that Veterans Stadium had a jail and judge inside.
“We don’t have a jail anymore,” said Kincade. “It’s a different crowd. The younger people, I think, are more cultured and it’s actually a change for the better.”
After knocking the Braves out of the playoffs in 1993, Philly fans surrounded the team bus mocking the Braves chant complete with creative hand gestures.
While those days are in the past, Kincade says don’t expect the more refined crowds in Philadelphia to be any less passionate.
“It’s an intimidating environment and I’ve heard it from Braves personnel,” said Kincade. “I’ve heard it from other teams.”
This Braves team has already shown they can handle the noise. The team clinched its sixth straight division title this season in Philadelphia. In fact, the Braves won five of six games in Philly during the regular season.
Kincade says Braves fans are welcome to bring their passion for playoff baseball to the City of Brotherly Love.
“They’ll welcome you and treat you like family as long as you’re not a jerk,” said Kincade. “So, don’t be a jerk.”
Words to live by as the Braves venture back to the city that is, to many, the face of sports passion.
NLDS Game 3 basics
- Who: Braves vs. Phillies
- What: NLDS Game 3
- Where: Philadelphia
- When: 5:07 p.m. ET
- TV: TBS