How the Atlanta Braves will honor Ted Turner, Bobby Cox Tuesday night

The Atlanta Braves are back home Tuesday night for their game against the Chicago Cubs, but there will be a somber energy as fans fill seats in Truist Park.

The Braves organization will honor media mogul, CNN founder and former Braves owner Ted Turner and Braves Hall of Fame Manager and "heart and soul" of the team Bobby Cox, both of whom died last week.

Turner died May 6 at the age of 87, and Cox died May 9 at the age of 84.

Braves honor legends before matchup in Atlanta

A moment of silence will be held for Turner and Cox ahead of the game Tuesday, followed by a tribute video to the two baseball legends, a Braves spokesperson told USA TODAY.

There are also multiple displays in place, including in the center field backdrop and other touches throughout the ballpark, the organization said.

Turner is honored with a "17" jersey, referencing a 1976 marketing move by Turner where Atlanta Braves pitcher Andy Messersmith wore the number of the television station (WTCG-TV, Channel 17 in Atlanta) owned by the future media giant. Cox was assigned the "6" jersey, but it later became synonymous with the manager, and was retired as a number for the Braves organization following his retirement.

The organization shared a post Tuesday with a display for the two Braves heroes set up in The Battery.

The Braves were on their longest road trip of the season last week. Tuesday night will be the team's first home game since their passing.

Ted Turner and the Atlanta Braves

Turner may be best known for his role in developing the first 24-hour news cycle and changing the way news was broadcast through CNN, but in Atlanta he was deeply involved with the city's professional sports.

Following a losing season for the Atlanta Braves, who went 67-94, Turner purchased the team in January 1976.

"I don't want to see any more headlines calling Atlanta 'Loserville U.S.A.' I want to see Winnersville U.S.A.," Turner said at a press conference following the purchase, according to ESPN.

The Braves would go on to have dominating seasons in the early 90s, leading to a World Series win in 1995. Turner owned the team until 1996 when ownership became part of a merger between Turner Broadcasting Systems and Time Warner, but he stayed heavily involved with the organization for another decade.

The former Braves stadium was known as Turner Field before the team relocated to Truist Park (formerly SunTrust Park) in 2017.

"Our good friend and former owner, Ted Turner, was one of a kind — a brilliant businessman, consummate showman and passionate fan of his beloved Braves. Ted's visionary leadership and innovative approach to broadcast television transformed the Braves into 'America's Team'," the Braves said in a statement following Turner's passing.

Bobby Cox made the Braves a team of winners

The influence of Turner and Cox overlapped in Atlanta when the baseball manager joined the team in November 1977, not long after Turner purchased the Braves.

Cox led the team to what the MLB called "unprecedented success" through 14 straight division titles between 1991 and 2005, 5 NL pennants and ultimately the 1995 World Series Championship.

He was the fourth-winningest manager in the history of MLB, and was a four-time Manager of the Year. He won a total of 2,401 games, and only one other manager (Joe McCarthy) has crossed the 2,000-win threshold in a shorter amount of time than Cox.

Players who worked for Cox called him a father figure and one of the best people they've ever met, and John Schuerholz told USA TODAY Sports Cox was the "heart and soul of the Braves."

"Bobby was a favorite among all in the baseball community, especially those who played for him. His wealth of knowledge on player development and the intricacies of managing the game were rewarded with the sport's ultimate prize in 2014 — enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame," the Braves organization said upon Cox's death. "And while Bobby's passion for the game was unparalleled, his love of baseball was exceeded only by his love for his family."

Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].