2008 Woodie Awards
Greenville welcomes The Drive
West End stadium opens with win
Issue date: 4/12/06 Section: News
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Staff Writer
Nearly two years after the departure of the much-loved Greenville Braves, Greenville residents welcomed their newest downtown diversion Thursday, April 6.
The Greenville Drive, a Boston Red Sox Single-A team, opened in the new West End Field with a 6-1 win over the Columbus Catfish before a sell-out crowd of 5,700.
The city's prior minor league team, the G-Braves, who came to Greenville in 1984, left after the 2004 season when the team and city officials were unable to come to an agreement regarding the aging G-Braves home, Mauldin Municipal Field.
The new stadium is a miniature of Fenway Park in Boston, and includes its own 30-foot 'Green Monster. ' The park runs 310 feet down the left field line and 302 feet down the right field line.
After the G-Braves left Greenville, the Columbia Bombers, a Red Sox affiliate team, moved to Greenville and played one season at Mauldin Municipal. With the construction of West End Field the Bombers became the Drive, a South Atlantic League team and minor league baseball found its way downtown.
Even though no official word was given at the first game for the meaning behind the team's name, which sounds like a street, it was alluded to that the name reflected the city and area's growing automotive presence.
The Drive opened a four-game series Tuesday against the Augusta Green Jackets and will not be returning to Greenville until April 20 when they will host the Savannah Sand Gnats in what fans hope to be an exciting game.
Drive Manager Luis Alicea, maintains a daily blog which can be accessed through Greenville's website The Greenville News Online. The blog features search options, reports from spring training, and Archives easily accessible by month.