The baseball matchup between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on Saturday drew an impressive crowd of 91,032 ticket holders, marking a significant milestone in Major League Baseball’s regular-season history.
This attendance figure surpassed the previous record set on Sept. 12, 1954, when 84,587 fans gathered at Municipal Stadium to watch Cleveland take on the New York Yankees.
However, unforeseen weather conditions led to a rain delay and subsequent postponement of Saturday’s game, which resumed on Sunday. According to MLB regulations, a game must complete at least five innings to be considered official. While MLB did not release an official attendance figure for the resumed game, a smaller number of fans were observed at the Speedway on Sunday.
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During the FOX broadcast, John Smoltz speculated that approximately half to three-quarters of Saturday’s fans returned to Bristol on Sunday, although this estimate was not officially confirmed.
MLB reported that ticket purchasers for the game hailed from various locations, including the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, nine international countries, and four different continents.
Saturday’s pregame festivities featured a captivating flyover by four U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets from Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, as well as performances by Tim McGraw and Pit Bull. Hall of Famers Chipper Jones and Johnny Bench participated in the ceremonial first pitch.
Braves emerged victorious in Speedway Classic, 4-2
Following a lengthy 2 1/2-hour rain delay, reliever Austin Cox was unexpectedly named the starting pitcher, replacing Spencer Strider for the Braves. The Reds initially took a 1-0 lead courtesy of an Austin Hays RBI single before the game was temporarily halted after the first inning.
When the game resumed on Sunday, Elly De La Cruz and Hays showcased their speed with stolen bases. However, De La Cruz was tagged out at home while attempting to score on a sharply hit grounder by Miguel Andujar to third base.
During the play, Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley appeared to sustain an injury while stretching to make the tag. He exited the game with what the Braves described as lower abdominal pain. Riley had recently returned from the injured list due to a lower abdominal strain, raising concerns that he may have re-aggravated the injury.
Eli White propelled Atlanta into the lead in the top of the second with a three-run homer off a high changeup delivered by Brent Suter.
Cincinnati narrowed the deficit to 3-2 on a sacrifice fly after Hurston Waldrep loaded the bases by issuing two walks and allowing a single. Nevertheless, White extended Atlanta’s advantage to two runs with his second homer of the game in the seventh inning, connecting against Scott Barlow. The Braves’ social media account noted that White stands as the only MLB player to have hit two home runs in the state of Tennessee.
In the ninth inning, the Reds threatened to tie the game, with Braves closer Raisel Iglesias surrendering consecutive singles to TJ Friedl and Matt McLain. However, Iglesias managed to retire the subsequent three batters, securing the win for Atlanta. The Braves improved their record to 47-63, while Cincinnati fell to 58-54, trailing the San Diego Padres by 3.5 games in the race for the National League’s final wild-card playoff spot.
Sixth occasion MLB has surpassed 80,000 attendees for a regular-season game
The field for the MLB Speedway Classic was covered up during a rain delay on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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According to the Hall of Fame, only five other MLB regular-season games have achieved attendance figures exceeding 80,000. The first instance occurred on Sept. 9, 1928, during a doubleheader between the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
The most recent occurrence prior to this event was in 1993, when 80,277 spectators witnessed the Colorado Rockies play their inaugural game at Mile High Stadium in Denver.
The Los Angeles Dodgers hold the record for the highest single-game attendance in postseason history. During the 1959 World Series, an impressive crowd of 92,706 fans filled Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to watch the Dodgers face off against the Chicago White Sox in Game 5.
