Luis Salazar loses his left eye (March 9, 2011)

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2011, Atlanta Braves, Carolina League, Luis Salazar, Lynchburg Hillcats, March 9

Luis Salazar was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center on March 9, 2011 after being struck in the face by a foul line drive hit by Brian McCann. He was standing in the dugout in the first inning of a Braves’ exhibition game in Lake Buena Vista.

Salazar joined the Atlanta Braves organization in 2011 and was poised to serve as the manager of their Class A-Advanced minor league affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League.

The 54 year-old minor league manager sustains a concussion and will lose his left eye as a result of the injury.

Salazar was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2010.

Luis Salazar

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Rabbit Maranville starts at $125 a month (1911)

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1891, 1911, November 11, Rabbit Maranville

The third of five children, Walter James Vincent Maranville (Rabbit) was born on November 11, 1891, in Springfield, Massachusetts. His mother was Irish but his father and the Maranville name were French. Walter (then known as “Stumpy” or “Bunty”) attended the Charles Street and Chestnut Street grammar schools and played catcher during his one year at Technical High.

His father, a police officer, allowed him to leave school if he apprenticed for a trade, so at age 15 he quit to become a pipe fitter and tinsmith. To his father’s dismay, Walter devoted less attention to his apprenticeship than he did to baseball. He was playing shortstop for a semipro team in 1911 when Tommy Dowd, manager of the New Bedford Whalers of the New England League, signed him to a contract for $125 per month.

The 19-year-old shortstop batted .227 and committed 61 errors in 117 games. Not sure if that was worth the $125 a month or not.

Jim Thorpe signs as a free agent with the Giants (February 1, 1913)

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1913, 1919, Boston Braves, February 1, Jim Thorpe, September 25

Jim Thorpe

Olympic hero Jim Thorpe, turning down an offer from the last-place Browns, signs with the Giants on February 1, 1913, the defending NL champs.

Because the minor league team that last held Jim Thorpe’s contract had disbanded in 1910, he found himself in the rare position of being a sought-after free agent at the major league level during the era of the reserve clause, and thus had a choice of baseball teams for which to play

The Native American, who grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma, will compile a lifetime .252 batting average during his six seasons in the major leagues, which also includes stints with the Reds and Braves.

His last appearance would be for the Boston Braves on September 25, 1919.

Twenty one innings with a 0-0 tie gets broken up (August 1, 1918)

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1918, August 1, Boston Braves, Buck Herzog, Dick Goat

Boston Braves Logo

There are long games and then there are very long games. No one scoring a run makes it even worse.

So, on August 1, 1918, the Pirates break the longest scoreless tie in baseball history against the Boston Braves, when the team tallies two runs in the top of the twenty-first inning for an eventual 2-0 victory at Braves Field. The Braves had 15 hits but were unable to score. The lead off hitter, Buck Herzog, had 5 hits but nobody could get him home.

The mark will be matched by Giants and Reds in 1967, when each team is held scoreless for twenty innings, until the decisive run is scored in the next frame on a bases-loaded walk to Dick Groat.

Boston Braves Table

Batting	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	Details
Buck Herzog 2B	9	0	5	0	1	0	.229
Jim Kelly LF	8	0	1	0	0	1	.207	2·SB,HBP
Red Massey CF	9	0	4	0	0	0	.291
Al Wickland RF	8	0	2	0	1	1	.266
Red Smith 3B	8	0	1	0	0	2	.306	SH
Ed Konetchy 1B	6	0	1	0	3	0	.218
John Henry C	2	0	0	0	1	0	.208
Tom Miller PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Doc Bass PR	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.000	SB
Art Wilson C	5	0	1	0	0	0	.250
Jimmy Smith SS	7	0	0	0	1	2	.185	HBP
Art Nehf P	7	0	0	0	0	0	.179	SH
Johnny Rawlings PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.209
Team Totals	71	0	15	0	7	6	.211

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/13/2017.

Atlanta Braves establish a franchise-record 14th straight victory (May 1, 2000)

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2000, Andruw Jones, Atlanta Braves, May 1, Quilvio Veras

Quilvio Veras

The Braves establish a franchise-record 14th straight victory on May 1, 2000, with a 2-1 victory at Dodger Stadium.

Quilvio Veras’, playing second, third-inning homer proves to be the difference. Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in 1989, Veras made his Major League Baseball debut with the Florida Marlins on April 25, 1995, and appeared in his final game on July 13, 2001.

Andruw Jones will bat 2-4.

Atlanta Braves Table

Batting	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Quilvio Veras 2B	4	2	2	1	0	0	4	.330	.412	.420	.832
Andruw Jones CF	4	0	2	0	0	1	4	.304	.398	.554	.952
Chipper Jones 3B	4	0	1	0	0	0	4	.297	.393	.516	.909
Andres Galarraga 1B	3	0	1	0	1	0	4	.294	.375	.671	1.046
Brian Jordan RF	3	0	0	0	1	1	4	.208	.309	.313	.622
Javy Lopez C	4	0	0	0	0	1	4	.263	.313	.408	.721
Bobby Bonilla LF	3	0	0	0	0	1	3	.292	.346	.521	.867
Trent Hubbard LF	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.190	.320	.381	.701
Walt Weiss SS	4	0	0	0	0	1	4	.302	.412	.349	.761
Kevin Millwood P	3	0	0	0	0	3	3	.000	.091	.000	.091
Rudy Seanez P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
John Rocker P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Team Totals	33	2	6	1	2	8	35	.182	.229	.303	.532

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/10/2017.

Going into his 20th MLB season, Colon is closing in on Juan Marichal‘s record for most wins by a pitcher from the Dominican Republic

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Atlanta Braves, Bartolo Colon, Dominican Republic

Going into his 20th MLB season, Bartolo Colon is indeed closing in on Juan Marichal‘s record for most wins by a pitcher from the Dominican Republic.

Colon is sitting on 233 career wins, just 10 behind Marichal’s 243. Are 10 or 11 wins this year obtainable? Certainly. 

In the six seasons since missing the 2010 season with elbow surgery, Colon has averaged 13 and a third wins per. If the Braves’ offense doesn’t lay an egg every time he’s on the mound (see: Shelby Miller, 2015), then Colon could reach this milestone with the Braves this season.

Also, a fun number to track this year will be his strikeouts.

Colon is currently 135 away from 2,500. Similar to the wins, if he hasn’t lost anything from last year, then this is possible, as well.

Source: Atlanta Braves Veterans Closing In On Significant Milestones

Red Sox keep offense going vs. Braves in spring training (March 3, 2017)

I love spring training. You play teams you don’t normally do in the regular season. You try new players. You see how your regulars are doing. You have some fun.

MLB’s No. 1 prospect Andrew Benintendi recorded four hits, including a two-run single during a six-run fourth inning that propelled the Red Sox to a 9-1 win over the Braves on a great spring day.

Braves ace Julio Teheran looked good. He pitched around some potential trouble over three scoreless innings against the Red Sox non-roster left-hander reliever Sam Freeman, who did not retire any of the seven batters faced during the fourth inning. Allen Craig fueled the uprising with a double and Benintendi chased Freeman with his single.

Teheran gained some assistance from his defense as he made his final start before joining Colombia for the World Baseball Classic. Benintendi sent his second double of the game into the left-center-field gap with none out in the third inning. Marco Hernandez’s bid to score from first was denied when Ender Inciarte quickly got the ball to shortstop Dansby Swanson, who made a strong throw that beat Hernandez to the plate by a few steps.

I got to work with some guys on base and get used to some situations,” Teheran said. “Now I’m ready to go to the [World Baseball Classic] and get ready for the season. I made pitches whenever I needed to and it was really good.

SunTrust Park will have grass on its field this week (March 2, 2017)

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2017, Atlanta Braves, Grass, Opening Day

So, one of the things that you need the most in order to play baseball in a ballpark is a grassy playing surface. It’s kinda imperative, wouldn’t you say?

Anyways, with Opening Day looming — and a dress rehearsal coming at the end of the month, no less — the AJC is reporting that SunTrust Park will finally have its sod placed down at some point this week.

Good timing!