On Saturday night, the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds competed in a historic MLB matchup at Bristol Motor Speedway, marking the first game played in the state of Tennessee. Although the event was initially set to begin at 7:15 p.m. ET, adverse weather conditions led to a lengthy rain delay, resulting in the game starting at 9:40 p.m. ET instead. Unfortunately, the teams were unable to complete a full inning before play was suspended once again due to weather concerns.

Following the delay, Major League Baseball announced that the remainder of the game would be played on Sunday, with play slated to resume at 1 p.m. ET. Chase Burns took the mound for Cincinnati, throwing a scoreless frame, while Braves pitcher Austin Cox faced four batters in the bottom of the first inning before the match was halted. Cox struck out TJ Friedl, but allowed hits to Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, and Austin Hays, with Hays driving in McLain to give the Reds a brief 1-0 lead. The game is set to resume with one out in the bottom of the first and runners on first and second base.

In addition to the game itself, the atmosphere featured a pregame introduction by actor Liam Neeson. Players embraced the unique setting with their uniforms and accessories. Grammy Award-winning artists Tim McGraw and Pitbull performed a concert prior to the contest, engaging with the Reds in their clubhouse before the game. Notably, All-Star pitcher Andrew Abbott arrived wearing a sleeveless race suit that was signed by Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion. Players from both teams were also transported around the track prior to the game. While Bristol Motor Speedway regularly accommodates 146,000 spectators for NASCAR events, a portion of the seats were covered for Saturday's matchup. Despite this, the game drew an impressive crowd of over 85,000 attendees. Reds manager Terry Francona expressed admiration for the venue, stating, 'When you get outside of the field, it’s actually pretty cool. The way the stands kind of all face in, the ones they’re using, it looks pretty cool.' This matchup holds particular significance for Cincinnati, as the team currently sits 3.5 games behind the final National League wild card spot with a 58-53 record, while also trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by 8.5 games for the top position in the NL Central. Conversely, the Braves are positioned fourth in the NL East with a 46-63 record.