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David Justice Pulaski served as the rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1982 to 1992. This era produced one of the biggest Major League Baseball superstars to ever play at Calfee Park: David Justice. The future three-time MLB All-Star was merely a fledgling baseball player when he arrived in Pulaski in 1985. The athletic 19 year-old from Cincinnati, OH had spent his formative years focusing on basketball; he enrolled at Thomas More College in Kentucky on a basketball schol arship. His collegiate baseball career didn’t begin until his sophomore year. In a 1985 interview with the Pulaski Southwest Times, Justice explained his transition from basketball to baseball: “My coach told me that my future was in baseball, not basketball. He said I was a good basketball player, but I had no shot at the pros. In baseball though he said several scouts had seen me play and they were impressed. So I took his advice and decided to give baseball a shot.” Justice was a fourth-round draft pick in the June 1985 amateur draft. His professional career in Pulaski began unceremoniously; reports indicate Justice struggled with consistency and power at the plate early in the 1985 season. However, as the weather turned warmer, so too did Justice. Justice concluded the 1985 season with 10 home runs and a team-high 46 RBIs in 66 starts. He was promoted to the Class-A Sumter Braves in 1986, and he made his MLB debut in May of 1989. Justice was a pedestrian .250 at the plate during the 1995 World Series, tallying just five hits in 20 at bats. Then, in the bottom of the sixth inning in a scoreless game six, Justice connected on a fastball from Indians reliever Jim Poole. The ball sailed over the right-field wall, and Justice made a solo trip around the bases to notch the first and only run of the game. Glavine and reliever Mark Wohlers protected the one run advantage, and Justice’s home run became the indelible highlight of the 1995 World Series. The swing marked a legendary climax to Justice’s tenure with the Braves; in 1997 Justice was traded to the Indians following an inju ry-plagued 1996 season. Of the 305 home runs Justice raked in during his 14-year MLB career, his solo shot on October 28, 1995 will forever be his most celebrated…an accomplishment that traces its origins to his developmental days in Pulaski. From the 1985 Pulaski Southwest Times article: “He’s come a long way in the two weeks that I have been here,” batting coach Smokey Burgess said of Justice’s development during the 1985 season. “When I came here he was lunging at the ball. But he’s worked hard to correct that. He is a hard worker. He’s got good power and a natural swing.” Steve Avery Steve Avery was selected third overall in the 1988 amateur draft, forgoing a Stanford University scholarship to sign with the Atlanta Braves out of high school. The heralded left-handed pitcher seized the spotlight upon arriving in Pulaski, scorching the Martinsville Phillies in his professional debut with seven strikeouts through five scoreless innings. The Braves blanked the Phillies that night 5-0. An article printed in The Southwest Times on July 12, 1988 by Charles Beall of the Worrell News Service captured the sentiments of Pulaski manager Cloyd Boyer. “I can see why they drafted him number one. He’s definitely a big-league prospect,” remarked Boyer. “No longer than he’s been here, it’s obvious he’s hard-working, dedicated, and has a good attitude. And the Lord blessed him with great ability.” At age 18, Avery’s 1988 season with the Pulaski Braves resulted in a 7-1 record with a 1.50 ERA. The Trenton, MI, native tallied 80 strikeouts in ten games. Avery moved on to play for the Class-A Durham Bulls for the 1989 season. The 1995 season wasn’t kind to Avery. He struggled on the mound throughout the regular season, posting his highest ERA since his rookie season. The highlight of Avery’s post-season was a vintage shut-out performance against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 4, which propelled the Braves into the World Series.

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