Truist Park's biggest moments ... so far

ATLANTA -- Julio Teheran threw the first pitch and Ender Inciarte recorded many of the other “firsts” when the Braves opened Truist Park (then going by a different name) with a 5-2 win over the Padres on April 14, 2017.

Through the first four seasons of this stadium’s existence, the Braves have regularly presented the home crowd lasting memories. This summer’s All-Star Game will add to the developing history of the young park.

Here are the top five moments in Truist Park history:

1. Ronald Acuña Jr.’s grand slam
Oct. 7, 2018

After Walker Buehler intentionally walked Charlie Culberson with two outs in the second inning and then walked Sean Newcomb to load the bases in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, Acuña made the Dodgers hurler pay when he drilled a grand slam into the left-field seats. Acuña, who was 20 at the time, became the youngest player in postseason history to hit a grand slam.

2. Markakis’ Opening Day walkoff
March 29, 2018

Nobody predicted the 2018 season would include the Braves winning the first of three consecutive National League East titles. But Nick Markakis may have provided a slight hint when he concluded an 8-5 Opening Day win over the Phillies with a three-run homer off Héctor Neris.

The Phillies led 5-0 before Phillies manager Gabe Kapler opted not to allow Aaron Nola to face Freddie Freeman with one out in the sixth. Freeman greeted reliever Hoby Milner with a two-run homer and later drew a two-out intentional walk against Neris in the bottom of the ninth. This set the stage for Markakis, who responded by drilling his first career walk-off homer into the right-field seats.

3. Freeman’s walk-off single
Sept. 30, 2020

Freeman’s walk-off single against Reds reliever Amir Garrett gave the Braves a 1-0, 13-inning win in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. This marked the first time two teams had ever remained scoreless through the first 11 innings of a playoff game. The game, which featured a matchup of Trevor Bauer against Max Fried, remained scoreless for 4 hours and 39 minutes.

4. Acuña’s epic blast
Sept. 25, 2020

Freeman concluded a 8-7, 11-inning win over the Red Sox with a walk-off homer, and Acuña highlighted the victory with an epic leadoff homer. The Braves outfielder’s first-inning homer traveled 495 feet, making it the longest home run hit by a Braves player since Statcast began tracking homers in 2015. Acuña had previously set the franchise record with the 473-foot blast he hit against Gerrit Cole on Aug. 26.

5. Hank Aaron’s first pitch, April 14, 2017

Hank Aaron threw the ceremonial first pitch to fellow Hall of Famer Bobby Cox before the Braves played their first official game at Truist Park. Cox grabbed Aaron’s underhand toss and then waved as the home crowd roared with approval.