Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins play historic game at Fort Bragg

History was made Sunday night, when the first regular-season game of a major professional sport was played on an active military installation.

The Miami Marlins faced the Atlanta Braves in front of a crowd of 12,500 at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the nation's largest military base with 55,000 active duty Army personnel. The Marlins won 5-2. "It was just an unbelievable experience," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. "We're going to take nothing but really good memories away from the night." One special fan in attendance was Hubert Edwards, a World War II vet who lived at Fort Bragg before being deployed to Europe in 1942. The 97-year-old grew to love baseball while in the service, after listening to radio broadcasts of games. Before Sunday, he had never seen a baseball game live and in person, and he told the News & Observer the night was one of the highlights of his life — in addition to making it home alive from the war.

The $5 million stadium was financed by Major League Baseball and the players' association, constructed on an abandoned golf course. The temporary bleachers will now be removed from the stadium and the field will be converted for use in recreational play.

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