Some healthy crowds to begin the season, as both the Greenville Drive (Low A; Sally League) and Bowling Green Hot Rods (Low A; Midwest League) notched sellouts on Opening Nights.
A crowd of 7,551 — the largest ever at Fluor Field — was on hand to see the Drive drop the season opener to the West Virginia Power, 1-0, A big reason for the large crowd: Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was in the lineup, in Greenville on an injury rehab assignment.
“It was a lot of fun,” Pedroia said after the game. “This is a great atmosphere here. I mean these guys are lucky. The stadium is unbelievable. The fans are great. The playing surface is awesome. You couldn’t ask for more out of a minor league affiliate. This is a pretty special place for these guys, so it was a great experience to be out there.”
The record attendance broke the previous Fluor Field record of 7,460, which was set during the Reedy River Rivalry between Clemson and South Carolina on March 4, 2017. The previous record for a Drive game in Downtown Greenville was 7,415, set on June 15, 2017 against the Columbia Fireflies.
In Bowling Green, a sellout crowd of 5,087 was on hand Saturday night at Bowling Green Ballpark to see the Hot Rods fell 6-0 to the Dayton Dragons.