CAROLINA BASEBALL: GAME 4
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
After our Charlotte game, we make the short drive to Kannapolis, stopping first at Dale Earnhardt Plaza.
Game 4 is a battle between the visiting Lynchburg Hillcats (the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians) and the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, a Chicago White Sox affiliate. The brand new team plays in the brand new Atrium Health Ballpark, which sports the Cannon Ballers’ circus theme.
Fresh off our game with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, we arrived in Kannapolis, North Carolina, just a half-hour from Queen City, for our nightcap with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
Dale Earnhardt Plaza
We headed straight to pay our respects at Dale Earnhardt Plaza, a shrine to Kannapolis' hometown hero, the seven-time Winston Cup Series champion and an icon for racing fans everywhere.The plaza is just a block from the all-new downtown area of Kannapolis, anchored by Atrium Health Park, home of the Cannon Ballers. All of this development came about because the city purchased the entire downtown in 2015 from billionaire David Murdock of Dole Food Products, who had acquired it from Pillowtex (the latest incarnation of the Cannon textile business) when they went bankrupt in 2003. The result is unlike just about any “downtown,” with gleaming new edifices, and more to come.
The North Carolina Research Campus — a 350-acre public-private research center focused on food, nutrition, and biotechnology — is just beyond the outfield fence at Atrium Health Ballpark.
Atrium Health Ballpark
We walked from Old Armor to the ballpark, passing a wall with a huge Cannon Ballers logo depicting a human cannonball with a mustache that evokes the Intimidator himself. Further on, near the right-field entrance, we got a close look the team's batting cage, viewable from the street.Kannapolis' $52 million, Populous-designed ballpark “opened” during 2020 (though the season was canceled), replacing Intimidators Stadium, which was situated in a less neighborhood-friendly location near the freeway. The ballpark has a capacity of 4,930 (3,218 seated), and its amenities include a right-field terrace, loge boxes, eight suites, a 6,000-square-foot Kinetic Club that seats 250, and a Sky Lounge. The facility is open as a city park on days there is no ballgame.
I took in the scene from behind home plate for a moment. Then Dad showed up with his latest hat acquisition, featuring a set of big goggles on the Cannon Ballers “crash helmet.”
Dad headed to our seats while I took a tour of the concourse. The Cannon Ballers have leaned hard into their circus theme, creating a fun and festive atmosphere through the use of consistent and pervasive branding throughout the ballpark.
Kannapolis’ history as a Minor League town began with the Kannapolis Towelers (in honor of the local textile mills), who played from 1936-41. The current franchise began in Spartanburg, South Carolina. They were a Class-A affiliate of the Phillies from 1963-1995 before moving to Kannapolis as the Piedmont Phillies, then as the Piedmont Boll Weevils from 1996-2000.
Kannapolis’ 38-year relationship with the Phillies ended in 2000, and they have been affiliated with the Chicago White Sox ever since.
In 2001, when Dale Earnhardt purchased a share of the team, they paid homage to the new co-owner by renaming as the Kannapolis Intimidators. The team was sold in 2018 and rebranded for the 2020 season as the Cannon Ballers, a reference to the Cannon mill that once dominated the city and fielded baseball clubs as far back as 1925.
I completed my circuit and made my way to the Kannapolis dugout. The Cannon Ballers were wearing special journeys to benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
Kannapolis starting pitcher Jesús Valles warmed up in the bullpen as a group of Cannon Ballers looked on. The 23-year-old from Venezuela would be making his 18th and final appearance of the year for Kannapolis before being promoted to High-A Winston-Salem to finish the season.
Like their White Sox affiliate partners in Winston-Salem and Charlotte, the Cannon Ballers were in the midst of a truly rotten season on the diamond. Their 30-70 record made for easy math on their winning percentage.
Valles would face the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Low-A afiiliate of the Cleveland Indians, who had managed a 48-52 record coming into the 101st game of the season for both teams.
Juan Zapata, a 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic, took to the hill to start for the Hillcats. He’d enjoyed a solid first full season in A-ball, finishing with a 5.45 ERA in 13 starts.
Both pitchers gave up a single and a double in the first inning, but only the Hillcats managed to capitalize with a run. Lynchburg third baseman Miguel Jerez, a .177 hitter on the season, followed with a two-run homer in the second, and the Hillcats led 3-0.
I decided to make my own trip to the team store before grabbing food for us. I went with a classic Cannon Ballers hat after deliberation that included texting friends and family. No, really. Then I walked over to a nearby stand for grilled corn, a perfect accompaniment to the team’s circus theme and damn good to boot.
For dinner, Dad went with the Italian sausage with peppers and onions, which he gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. I enjoyed a Philly Cheesesteak, which was pretty light on the “cheese” part but still very good.
The teams traded single runs in the fifth inning. Zapata finished his night giving up just one run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. A pair of Hillcats relievers fared even better, holding the Cannon Ballers hitless for the remainder of the game.
Lynchburg finished the job with two more runs in the seventh, and Kannapolis took another loss in the 2021 season, going down 6-1.
After the game, the Cannon Ballers held a ceremony with speeches and video presentations in support of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Blue lanterns were lit in honor of children who had lost their lives to brain tumors, and yellow lanterns for families currently dealing with a brain tumor diagnosis and treatment. Then Kannapolis players returned to the field, lighting white lanterns to signify community support for the cause.
When the ceremony ended, a top-quality fireworks display filled the sky. Exhausted from our long day of baseball, we made the drive back to Charlotte to rest up for our day game on Sunday.