Baseball is Back in the Queen City
After 25 seasons in Fort Mill, SC, the Charlotte Knights officially returned home to Charlotte, NC on Friday, April 11th and opened their brand-new kingdom -- BB&T Ballpark. It was a day that many dreamed about for years. It was a day like no other in Uptown Charlotte.
Baseball is now back in the center city of Charlotte and 10,231 fans at BB&T Ballpark witnessed history on Opening Knight.
The day kicked-off with a party in Romare Bearden Park at noon. It started with help from the Carolina Panthers' PURRcussion, who marched into the park with the entire 2014 Charlotte Knights team behind them. It was a great way introduce the fans in Charlotte to the Knights. Manager Joel Skinner spoke to the fans and the "Voice of the Charlotte Knights" Matt Swierad introduced the team one-by-one.
There were several key speeches in the park, as well as an autograph session with the team. The Budweiser Clydesdales were there. There were jugglers, musicians, balloon twisters, a caricature artist -- and much more.
As the day continued, thousands of more fans flocked to Uptown for their chance to enter the gates to Charlotte's new home for professional baseball. At 5:00 p.m., those gates opened and fans made their way into the ballpark.
A pre-game ceremony that featured speeches from dignitaries, and World Series lineups -- ushered in a new era of professional baseball to Charlotte. There were first pitches from Charlotte athletes -- including a special first pitch from Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera -- who had his first pitch filmed from BB&T Ballpark earlier in the week. Rivera left a nice message for fans on the team's videoboard too.
Charlotte Knights legend Jim Thome -- who won the 1993 International League MVP -- tossed a ceremonial first pitch right before the start of the game. The actual first pitch of the game came at 7:41 p.m. and the first hit of the game came moments later when Norfolk's Julio Borbon doubled off Charlotte RHP Dylan Axelrod.
There were many "firsts" on Friday including the first Knights home run, which was hit by Denis Phipps in the third inning off Norfolk starter Steve Johnson. The game was exciting and even went into extra innings. That's free baseball for fans!
Even though the Knights lost by a score of 8-6 in 12 innings, the day was a win and a big hit for the fans. While 10,000+ witnessed the game from inside the ballpark -- many more watched from outside the ballpark -- where the team's exterior videoboard featured the game for all to see.
Fireworks capped-off the evening and lit-up the beautiful Uptown Charlotte skyline. Baseball is back in the Queen City and after a weekend full of many "firsts" and fun, baseball is here to stay.
BB&T Ballpark Firsts:
First Pitch - Dylan Axelrod, Charlotte Knights, 7:41 p.m.
First Batter - Julio Borbon, Norfolk Tides
First Knights Batter - Blake Tekotte
First Hit - Julio Borbon, double, Norfolk Tides
First Run Scored - Julio Borbon, third inning, Norfolk Tides
First Double- Julio Borbon, 1st inning, Norfolk Tides
First Triple- Julio Borbon, fifth inning, Norfolk Tides
First HR - Denis Phipps, 3rd inning, Charlotte Knights
First Win - Norfolk Tides
Tickets for games this season are available online at www.charlotteknights.com, by phone at 704-357-8071, or in person at the Charlotte Knights Ticket Office located at BB&T Ballpark. Uptown Knights are Better Than Ever!