Braves Fans Give Team Red-Carpet Sendoff Before NLDS Trip to Los Angeles

Supporters lined a red carpet at Truist Park on Friday as Atlanta's players, staff and families departed for a best-of-five NLDS against the Dodgers.

Postseason baseball is usually about what happens between the lines, but the Atlanta Braves produced a memorable scene well away from the diamond this week. On Friday, with a division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead, fans turned out in force at Truist Park in Cumberland, Georgia, lining a red carpet to send the team off before its flight west.

Players, team executives and family members walked the route, then climbed aboard buses bound for the airport. Supporters lined the path hoping for a photograph or an autograph in the final minutes before departure. The mood carried weight, a blend of pride in what the club had just accomplished and anticipation for the round ahead.

For many attendees, the event offered a kind of access that a regular game ticket does not. One fan told FOX 5 Atlanta, "It's like my chance to be up close and personal because I can't afford to come to all the games." For that supporter, the carpet was the next best thing to a season's worth of seats.

Another supporter described a season spent following the team from home. "I've watched every game except the one game I came to," that fan told the station. The comment captured the mood of the gathering: less a chance to glimpse stars than a brief moment of connection between a club and the people who track its every game.

Atlanta earned its spot in the division series by winning its Wild Card round. The Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies to get there, with three home runs helping fuel the victory that sent the club on to Los Angeles.

Outfielder Michael Harris II provided the early spark in game three against Philadelphia on October 1, connecting for a home run in the first inning. He was still celebrating on the field at the end, after Atlanta completed the win that finished off a high-pressure series against a rival and set up the trip Friday's crowd came to salute.

Next up is a best-of-five NLDS against Los Angeles, with the schedule already in place. Game 1 is set for Saturday at 4 p.m. in Los Angeles, Game 2 follows Sunday at 8 p.m., also in California, and the series then returns to Georgia, where Game 3 is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Fresh off the Philadelphia series, supporters treated the carpet gathering as more than a souvenir hunt. Rather than watching the playoff run unfold from home, they made a point of being there in person, turning the team's ride to the airport into a public display of support.

The series opener, Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers, is set for Saturday, October 3 at 4:00 PM EDT at Dodger Stadium, with the broadcast on FOX.