There's more to Augusta's baseball history than the GreenJackets.
Dating back to the late 1800s, Augusta has been home to some of the most iconic names in the sport, including Ty Cobb - who called Augusta home.
North Augusta Heritage Council President Milledge Murray and Lamar Garrard spoke at a Heritage Council meeting last week on the tradition of baseball in Augusta.
"Augusta has a rich baseball history," Murray said. "Baseball in Augusta was here from the 1800s until 1963, then it left. Then you had a 25-year period of no professional baseball in Augusta - that's a generation - before it came back in 1988."
Long before baseball left Augusta, the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Red Sox brought spring training to the area.
"Around 1900, the Brooklyn Dodgers came to Augusta to do spring training, which they called winter training back then," Murray said. "There were railroads that came to Augusta, which is why they came here. They won the pennant after coming to Augusta for spring training and had the city as an honorary mascot in Brooklyn. In 1901 and 1902, the Boston team from the American League used Augusta for spring training, as well. They brought down a pitcher by the name of Cy Young to train at Warren Park."
Cobb also brought his Detroit Tigers to train in Augusta and spend time in North Augusta.
"When Ty Cobb brought the team into town for spring training, he wanted them to stay together," Murray said. "To do that, he leased Lookaway Inn, Rosemary Hall and the Pine Heights for the entire spring training period. So, he and his team stayed in North Augusta."
Garrard spoke on the brilliant career of Cobb, who was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot ever.
"My admiration for him started when I was a 15-year-old boy when I went up to him and got his autograph," he said. "He was here for Ty Cobb night, and nobody would approach him for an autograph. He signed my program and started my fascination. ... You could make the argument that he's the greatest baseball player of all time, between Cobb and Babe Ruth."
Cobb also made an impact with the City of Augusta, bartering for a clubhouse for his team during spring training.
"Ty Cobb went to the City of Augusta and asked for a clubhouse for his Detroit team to use, offering to bring the team back for spring training for a number of years," Murray said. "The City didn't have the money to do this, but the Committee of 50 - a powerful committee of movers and shakers - put on barbecues to raise money to build what Cobb wanted. It was before its time, with there being shower facilities and an area to dress for the players."
Garrard and Murray have provided materials about Cobb and Augusta baseball to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and have each received a donor's lifetime pass to the Hall.