Atlanta Braves Set 2017 Home Opener in SunTrust Park

ATLANTA, GA — The Atlanta Braves will play their first regular season game in the new SunTrust Park on April 14, 2017.

The team released a preliminary schedule for next season on Wednesday on its website.

A four-game series against the San Diego Padres kicks off the season, following a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.

Starting times for the games have not been determined, but the Braves announced earlier this year that it is moving the starting times for Braves home games at SunTrust Park back to 7:30, instead of the usual 7:05.

• See the 2017 Braves Schedule

"There’s no doubt that traffic can be challenging anywhere in the Metro Atlanta area, and that’s why the Braves are moving the start time of home games back 30 minutes to 7:30 p.m.," team representatives noted in a statement on the team website.

"Moving the start time back enables the bulk of traffic associated with the afternoon rush hour to clear out. When comparing the 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. time window to 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m, the result is a 12 percent decrease in the number of cars on the road. When peak rush hour (5:45 p.m. to 6 p.m.) is compared to the 7 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. time window, the reduction is even more dramatic at 30 percent."

The I-75/285 interchange is one of Atlanta's busiest, most traffic-choked thoroughfares, and questions about gridlock have plagued the Braves since the team announced its intention to move to Cobb County in 2013.

The team is also stressing that SunTrust Park, which opens next season, have 14 primary access points compared to Turner Field's two primary access points. The Braves also said that, through 2018, "more than $2 billion is being invested in public infrastructure by multiple partners to enhance the roadways and thoroughfares flowing into and around the site."

The Braves are also hoping that The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use complex also on the site, will encourage fans to arrive early and stay late, thus dispersing "traffic across a larger time frame, minimizing the impact on existing commuters."

See also:

• Comcast Building High-Tech Network For Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park
• New Hank Aaron Statue Planned for SunTrust Park
• Wahlburgers, Harley Davidson, Others, Signed at New Atlanta Braves Complex

Image: SunTrust Park