John Smoltz on Bristol fans: "A tip of the cap to everyone who came here yesterday anticipating what we all thought was gonna be an incredible night."
Fox Sports analyst and former Atlanta Braves great John Smoltz, a National Baseball Hall of Famer, thanked fans for returning Sunday for the resumption of the MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway and estimated that perhaps 75 percent of those on hand Saturday night returned to the racetrack the following day.
"The miles of people after the game waiting through the delay hoping the game would be played," Smoltz said during the broadcast. "A tip of the cap to everyone who came here yesterday anticipating what we all thought was gonna be an incredible night. Half of them, maybe three-quarters are back today. And here we are."
MLB did not announce an attendance figure for the game before it was suspended Saturday night in the first inning.
Fans reportedly were allowed to bring in their own food Sunday after concession stands ran out of many food items during Saturday night's rain delays.
MLB announced July 28 that the Reds-Braves series finale at the race track was set to break MLB's regular-season attendance record with more than 85,000 tickets sold to date. The previous paid attendance record of 84,587 was set September 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Smoltz on Speedway Classic attendance: 50-75 percent fans back Sunday
Category: Baseball
