ATLANTA -- Mike Soroka was two years old when Bobby Cox led the Braves to their fifth World Series appearance of the 1990s and he had not yet entered high school when the beloved former manager concluded his Hall of Fame career in Atlanta.
But Soroka certainly understood the significance of the moment when the crowd roared upon looking at SunTrust Park’s large videoboard and seeing Cox sitting in a suite during Monday afternoon’s 6-3 win over the Blue Jays. This marked the first time the legendary Braves’ skipper attended a game since suffering a stroke on April 2.
“That was awesome,” Soroka said. “I saw that in the second or third inning when I looked up there. I obviously had to take a moment. He’s been through a battle. He’s the Brave of all Braves. We love to see him up there. It was a big boost to see him up there.”
As Cox sat with his wife, Pam, his daughter, Skyla, and other Braves executives, he had the chance to see Soroka battle his way through a five-inning effort that was backed by the two-run homers hit by Johan Camargo and Josh Donaldson, who vividly remembers those childhood days he spent watching Cox serve as the Braves’ manager.
“It was pretty special honestly,” Donaldson said. “There haven’t been many times where I’ve been starstruck by anybody. The first time I met him here, I was like, ‘Wow, this is the man I grew up watching all of those years.’ It was unfortunate what happened, but we’re all glad to see he’s bouncing back. It was special to see him today.”
Before the game, Cox spent some time with current Braves manager Brian Snitker, who is among the many current and former members of the organization who have regularly visited Cox over the past five months.
Cox has spent the past few months at a rehabilitation center. The 78-year-old Braves legend has steadily realized some improvement with both verbal and motor skills. He was unable to talk and had very limited movement on his right side over the first couple weeks following the stroke.
“I think he had his hot dog and had a great time,” Snitker said. “Hopefully, that’s just the beginning of many visits.”