Thoughts on the Nats' final trip to Atlanta's Turner Field

When the Nationals play a three-game series this weekend in Atlanta, it will be the last time they see Turner Field.

Next season, the Braves will have a new home - SunTrust Park - in Cobb County, 12 miles northwest of the current yard.

You're asking, "Didn't Turner Field just open?''

You're right, it did. But the Braves say that the ballpark is already in need of $300 million in renovations, so they prefer a new one.

Turner Field hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics and was reconstructed into the new Braves' new home for the 1997 season. The stadium was built next to Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium, the Braves' first home. Turner Field and the land around it were sold to Georgia State and a private developer that will build student housing, apartments and a football field.

Now, among the 30 major league teams, only the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays are without new stadiums. Commissioner Rob Manfred says expansion will not happen until those teams get new ballparks. Officials in both cities are looking for ways to build new ballparks, but there hasn't been much progress.

Turner Field doesn't have the aura of Boston's Fenway Park or Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, but it does have a unique slice of baseball history. The Braves beat the Cubs 5-4 in the first game at Turner Field. The last game will be played Oct. 2 against the Detroit Tigers.

In 20 seasons at Turner Field, the Braves went to the postseason 12 times, losing three National League Championship Series and the 1999 World Series. The 2000 All-Star Game was played there.

The Braves were swept by the New York Yankees in the 1999 World Series after losing the first two at home 4-1 and 7-2, but here's a nugget of trivia: The Braves' Chipper Jones hit the only World Series home run in Turner Field.

The Braves' Hall of Fame manager, Bobby Cox, managed the National League in the 2000 All-Star Game, won by the American League 6-3. Jones and the Yankees' Derek Jeter each went 3-for-3 and Yankees closer Mariano Rivera was the MVP. It was also at this All-Star Game that Major League Baseball announced the All-Century team.

Turner Field was also where Braves fans had farewells and number retirement parties for Cox, Jones and pitchers Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, Braves legends that defined their dominance in the 1990s.

Cox had 2,149 wins as a Braves manager, with four pennants and the 1995 World Series win against Cleveland. Maddux won four Cy Youngs, Smoltz and Glavine one each - and all are in the Hall of Fame. Jones, a switch-hitter with 468 home runs and an NL MVP, will likely join them in Cooperstown.

It hasn't all been fun for Braves fans.

In May 2004, Milwaukee pitcher Ben Sheets struck out 18 Braves batters. The next night, Arizona lefty Randy Johnson came to town and pitched a perfect game against the Braves.

In April of 2015, the Nationals overcame two eight-run deficits to beat the Braves 12-11. Jose Lobaton and Dan Uggla hit three-run home runs in the game, Uggla's coming in the ninth inning. The Braves had released Uggla earlier and were paying him his $18 million salary.

A.J. Cole started the game for the Nationals in place of Max Scherzer, who was dealing with a sore thumb. It was the first game in team history where the Nationals allowed 11 runs and ending up winning.

After the win, the Nationals won 16 of their next 20 games.

Overall, the Nationals going into the weekend with a 48-59 record at Turner Field. Ryan Zimmerman is the Nationals' home-run leader at Turner with nine. Bryce Harper is second with five. Daniel Murphy is glad to be done with Turner Field. He's hit .229 for his career there.

The Nationals will play their first series at SunTrust Field from April 16-18, 2017.

The new ballpark will seat 41,500 - 8,000 less than Turner Field. It will be state-of-the-art surrounded by restaurants and shopping. The Braves will play an exhibition against the Yankees on March 31 and the first regular season game is April 13 against the San Diego Padres.

And a new round of memories will begin.