Much was said about the crowd noise, or lack thereof, from Atlanta Braves fans at Truist Park in Game 1 of the NLDS. Well, I can personally confirm they were a lot louder at Game 2.

For those who don’t know, I go to college in Phoenix for sports journalism, and my dear friend Sofia lives in Savannah. During the summer, we frequented Phillies games. When the Fightins moved on to a game that would be a mere 4 hours from my friend, she checked the ticket prices for Games 1 and 2, just out of curiosity.

A few impulse plane ticket purchases later, the two of us ended up at Truist Park, deep in enemy territory, with the chance to watch the Phillies go up 2-0.

We weren’t the only ones! We got into the park early to watch batting practice and spoke to a lot of other Phils fans who did the same thing. A dad told us that he and his kids arrived in Atlanta at 3 a.m. that morning after driving 12 hours from Philly. The ladies sitting two seats over from us lived in South Jersey and grew up 15 minutes away from us in Drexel Hill. There were also a fair number of Philly transplants who now live in the Atlanta area and remain loyal to the Phils despite the distance and the Braves’ juggernaut status. 

An incredibly welcome surprise was that Phillies owner John Middleton was in the stands meeting fans. I knew he was very involved at Phillies games, but even with his reputation of being there every step of the way, I absolutely was not expecting to see him doing the same in Atlanta. He met every Phillies fan who lined up for him, and as soon as we got to him, he shook our hands and thanked us for being fans. He was also generous enough to give me a quick interview: if you’re reading this, thank you, Mr Middleton!


The crowd split was about 70-30 between Braves and Phillies fans. I’ll admit I was a little nervous going in. I’d never been to a playoff game before, even at the Bank, and being on the opposing team’s home turf, my ‘Bohm Squad’ shirt and Sofia’s ‘Daycare’ shirt stuck out like sore thumbs. It didn’t help that when we walked over from our hotel, Sofia and I didn’t see any other Phillies fans. Then suddenly, they were all around us, loud and proud despite the onslaught of tomahawk chops and chants from Braves Country.

To give credit where credit is due, Truist Park is a gorgeous place to play. The ballpark itself is stunning, and it didn’t look like there was a bad seat in the house. The surrounding area is great, too. The Battery is an entertainment district unto itself, sometimes feeling more like a mini city than a stadium. It’s interesting how different the pregame scene is than the one at Citizens Bank Park. The Bank is surrounded by parking lots, making it much more tailgate-dominated than Atlanta, where fans hang out at various restaurants and shops. To us, Philly pregaming felt a lot more authentic and communal, but the Battery’s more formal scene definitely has its upsides. 

As for the actual game experience, we didn’t get chirped too badly, if at all. Most of the Braves fans sitting around us were friendly, and apart from the guy next to us yelling that he hoped Bryce Harper shredded his hamstring, everyone was very sportsmanlike. Each fanbase knows how they feel about the other – the lady behind us let us know that she still thinks Alec Bohm is a cheater, and Sofia let her know that Spencer Strider’s mustache looked like it was gonna pop off and run away. It was all in good fun.

During the game itself, the Braves fans were on par with what I’ve experienced at regular season games at Citizens Bank Park. That was surprising to me. They stood during the first inning, but as the game went on, they quieted down more and more until the final innings, when of course the Braves came back. The crowd went nuts, for good reason. As we stood there with crossed arms in the middle of a cheering crowd, we kept muttering “that’s a good play, a really good play.” Nine times out of ten, that double play doesn’t happen, and even if it happened against the Phillies, it’s hard not to appreciate it for what it was: a really, really good play.

The thing that confused us the most was the in-game experience created by the organization itself. It was definitely… theatrical. Fireworks went off after every strikeout, and before the bottom of every inning, there was a “greatest hits” compilation that went on for a good 30 seconds before the PA announcer invited the Braves fans to stand up and get loud. Although I can appreciate a bit of dramatic flair, it felt forced to me. Nobody has to tell Philly fans to stand up at a playoff game. They’re up from the first pitch, and they aren’t sitting down.

I also thought it a little strange that the Braves played a hype video entirely composed of the Phillies’ miscues against them that season, which I’ve never seen a ballpark do before. Additionally, the player featured most often was Brandon Marsh, who’s from Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan. To each their own and all, but I found it odd that the Braves, as his hometown team, would single him out that way.

In the end, the outcome wasn’t what Sofia and I wanted, but Phillies fans on their way out, including us, didn’t seem too worried. The general consensus was this: with the series heading back to the Bank and a much more intimidating crowd on the horizon, if the Braves perform like they did in Game 1 and most of Game 2, they’re toast.