Braves’ Brian Snitker declines to explain what made Citizens Bank Park atmosphere ‘concerning’

Brian Snitker led the Atlanta Braves to Citizens Bank Park for opening day, but his family stayed home.

Two weeks after Snitker told Atlanta radio station WZGC that the atmosphere in Philadelphia during the playoffs last season was “rough ... to the point where it was concerning,” the Braves manager spared his family for the season opener Friday.

”My wife’s babysitting and the grandkids are in school,” Snitker said before the game. “They wouldn’t be anywhere, honestly, other than home.”

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Asked what made his family feel unsafe at the ballpark, Snitker said, “I’m not going to get into all that. Let’s talk about today.”

Predictably, Snitker received some of the loudest boos during pregame introductions.

Despite winning the division in each of the last two seasons, part of a stretch of six consecutive NL East titles, the Braves were knocked out of the playoffs in back-to-back division series by the Phillies, with the deciding games being played in Philadelphia.