Former Richmond Brave John Smoltz, a Hall of Fame pitcher, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before John Michael Bertrand made the start for the Richmond Flying Squirrels in their season-opener.

ORLANDO, Fla. – John Smoltz never saw it coming. The skulled wedge shot that nailed him right above the eye last summer during a round of golf at Atlanta Athletic Club left a baseball-sized welt.

The smell of freshly mowed grass, the thud of a baseball hitting a catcher's mitt, the crack of the bat— the sights, smells and sounds of baseball. And while temperatures across the country have ...