On This Date in 1966

If I ask, "Who hit the first home run in Atlanta Braves history," you'd likely think first of Hank Aaron, Maybe fellow Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews. Or hard-hitting Felipe Alou. They were all in manager Bobby Bragan's lineup -- and you be wrong. That "famous first" belongs to Joe Torre -- actually, the catcher belted a pair of solo homers, in the 5th and 13th innings, for the only Braves' runs of the night. Willie Stargell proved to be the difference-maker, with a two-run homer in the top of the 13th off Tony Cloninger that put Pittsburgh ahead to stay in a 3 - 2 win over the Braves. The box score and details are on baseball-reference,com.
Torre's first homer was the first for the Braves in Atlanta as well as the first ever at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which over the next 30 years built a reputation as "the launching pad."

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