County Stadium Has Final Opener Today

Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, who welcomed Milwaukee to the major leagues in 1953 when he started the Braves’ first game at County Stadium, will be the first to say goodbye to the venerable ballpark.

With Miller Park more than half completed and literally on the horizon, Spahn will throw out the first ball today before the Brewers face the Chicago Cubs in their last home opener at County Stadium.

Not everybody will be happy when the wrecking ball smashes the 46-year-old stadium that was baseball’s masterpiece when it opened, luring the Braves from Boston in the game’s first franchise relocation.

“They will take a piece of my heart with them when they tear down this place,” said Hank Aaron, the all-time home run leader with played with the Braves and the Brewers in Milwaukee.

And he’s not alone.

Before moving to Atlanta following the 1965 season, the Braves never had a losing season in Milwaukee, and brought the city a World Series trophy in 1957.

“I threw the first pitch in the first game, and from that time on, it was a love affair between the people of Milwaukee and the Braves,” Spahn said during a news conference Thursday.

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The way Philadelphia Phillies Manager Terry Francona sees it, the best thing for Ron Gant at this point is a day off.

Gant, who has started his Philadelphia career in a 2-for-29 slump with 11 strikeouts, will sit tonight against Florida knuckleballer Dennis Springer.

“I talked with Ron earlier today, and he completely understands,” Francona said Thursday night after the Atlanta Braves-Phillies game was postponed by rain.

Gant, acquired in an off-season trade with St. Louis, was booed loudly at home Wednesday night while going 0-for-4 and stranding five runners. He struck out with two on in the fourth and popped up with the bases loaded in the fifth inning of a 10-4 loss to the Braves.

A streaky hitter throughout his career, Gant agrees with Francona’s decision to give him a day off rather than let Springer’s knuckleball mess up his swing even more.

“It’s not the best type of pitcher to try to get your groove on against,” Gant said. “It’ll be a good day for me to work and gather myself and work on whatever. It gives me another day to get back in there and go to war.”

The rainout, announced shortly before game time, canceled the second matchup this season between Curt Schilling and Tom Glavine. The Phillies won the first matchup, 7-4, on Opening Day in Atlanta. The game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader July 23.

“The funny thing is, I’ve never been rained out before,” Schilling said. “After a couple of innings, but never right at the start.”

It also moves everyone in the rotation back a day, meaning Schilling will miss facing Randy Johnson in Arizona by one day. Schilling starts tonight against Springer.