The last of a four-part monthly series celebrating the Greenville Drive’s 20th Anniversary season.
Anyone who has read this series celebrating the Greenville Drive’s 20th anniversary knows the Drive is more than a baseball team — it is the front porch of our community.
As the High-A South Atlantic League affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, the Drive has a dual mission: to produce high-quality players for the most successful franchise in all of baseball and deliver an amazing experience for fans, all while providing the best entertainment value money can buy.
Accomplishing this takes skill and finesse. Maintaining grounds and providing equipment and training that meets Major League Baseball specifications is essential for proper player development. Investing in a stadium with MLB-grade lighting, sound and seating enhances player development and the fan experience.
Season after season, the Drive makes upgrades to concessions, merchandise, entertainment and fan activations. Amenities like District 356, the 500 Club, the AFL Champions Club, premium seating atop the Green Monster and on the Rooftop, and inviting kids to run the bases every Sunday are outward ways the Drive fulfills its mission to fans.
Becoming a certified sensory-inclusive venue, offering stadiumwide recycling and providing English as a second language classes to players from outside the U.S. are less obvious — but equally important — mission-driven initiatives.
At the time of this writing, the Drive has delivered at least 127 players to the major leagues. More than 6 million fans have walked through the gates of Fluor Field. The cheers, the songs, the peanuts, hotdogs and ice cream — the T-shirts tossed and foul balls caught — it’s all part of being the Upstate’s home team.
