Adams pulls double duty for Gwinnett, Atlanta

Lane Adams was excited for the relaxed Wednesday night he had all planned out. An afternoon win and workout already in the books, the Braves outfielder hit the grocery store for some lunch and a dessert to indulge in while recharging at home and taking in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Then the big leagues called.

Adams on Wednesday became the first player in nearly three years to appear in Minor League and Major League games on the same day. He went 2-for-4 under the sun to help Triple-A Gwinnett to a 6-0 win over Norfolk, then got two at-bats and played two innings in the field under the lights in Atlanta as the Braves crushed the Phillies, 14-1.

The day started innocuously enough with Gwinnett slated for a 12:05 p.m. first pitch against Norfolk. Adams woke up around 8 o'clock, had breakfast and made his way to Coolray Field, where he hit in the cage prior to his team's matinee.
"We played well," said Adams, who singled twice and scored a run in the G-Braves' shutout. "The pitching did good, we swung the bats well. I was really happy with the day, and usually after day games, that's when I do my heavier workouts, lifting-wise. After the game, I went and lifted for about an hour, did some Olympic lifts and stuff since I have more time to recover from a day game following a night game. So I went and worked out and was feeling good headed home."
Oh, how the day would change.
On the way back to his apartment, Adams stopped at the store to grab some food.
"I was about to get some frozen lemon cups and enjoy the evening, watch the basketball game, maybe hang out by the pool," he said. "I was in a pretty mellow state and that's when the manager [Damon Berryhill] called me and said I was going to Atlanta."
Gameday box score
For the third time in his life, Adams was getting "the call." Atlanta placed third baseman Adonis García on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained finger and tabbed Adams to fill his roster spot.
Having made his big league debut with the Royals in 2014, Adams hadn't been back in "The Show" until this year, when he spent 10 days with the Braves from April 27-May 7. Now, in a grocery store in suburban Atlanta, the 27-year-old had precious little time to devise a plan that would get him to SunTrust Park ahead of the Braves' 7:35 p.m. game.
"I actually live closer to SunTrust," he said. "I was driving back home from the game and saw the traffic going back towards Gwinnett that was really backed up. I remembered the traffic and was like, 'Oh, boy, this could take a while.' And it did.
"I was like, 'Oh man, I'm glad I'm not sitting in that stuff.' And then an hour later, I was sitting in that stuff."
Adams moved quickly -- or at least as quickly as Atlanta-area traffic allowed.
"I had my shopping basket at Kroger and put everything back where I got it, got back in my car, had to go back to Gwinnett and pack up some stuff," he said. "I sat in traffic for about an hour and a half."
With the clock ticking, Adams mentally processed the twist of fate that put him at the highest level of his profession.
"It was just a lot of ups and downs. I was so grateful and excited to be called up," he said. "I was just in a different state. It was a day game. It was early. I was like, 'Oh, I'm just going to chill, hang out, eat my frozen lemon cups and watch the basketball game and just rest up.' I guess that didn't really quite work out as I imagined."
"Anytime you get the call is a special moment. My girlfriend, my mom, my family was still excited like it was the first time. You still get the excitement. You still get the adrenaline when you hear about it. It was different this time because I've been around the players, the staff before, so it's not having to go in and be the first time. It was easier, this transition. All in all, it's exciting every time the phone rings and that's the call you're receiving."
Reshelve the groceries. Get in the car. Head back to Coolray Field. Pack a bag. Drive to the Majors. If necessary, maybe take some liberties with Georgia traffic laws on the way. 

"I'm probably going to have a ticket in the mail because I rode the Atlanta Peach Pass lane, and I don't have a Peach Pass," Adams said with a laugh. "I'll probably be expecting a ticket in the mail with that. I was just in a rush from the time I got the phone call to the time I got there. I was just rushing, rushing, rushing.
"It was a whirlwind. Obviously, it's exciting every time you get a chance to go up. I was in a really mellow state of mind. It was an early game. It was hot. It's been rainy the past couple days and the sun was out, so it was humid. It was a pretty hot and muggy day in Gwinnett, and I was kind of ready to just hunker down, chill, watch the game and eat my lemon cups."
Instead, Adams arrived at the Braves' new home just before gametime and made it to the dugout by the end of the national anthem. Hours from becoming the first player to accomplish the Minors-to-Majors double since Colorado's Kyle Parker on June 16, 2014, Adams was still somewhat in a state of disbelief.
"To finally get there and settle down and relax a little bit and then to get to go into the game, anytime you get a chance to go into a big league game, it's special," he said.
With Atlanta leading 4-0, Adams batted for starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz in the bottom of the seventh and stayed in the game in left field after popping out to first. The Braves plated four runs in the inning and six more in the eighth. Adams bounced back to the mound in the eighth and finished his long day -- across two levels -- a combined 2-for-6.
"All-in-all, it was a pretty wild day for me," he said. "If it means being in the big leagues, I'd do it every day."
At the end of the wildest day of his professional life, only one regret lingered.
"Looking back at it," he mused, "I wish I would've bought the dang lemon cups, so I could eat them in the car ride in traffic. If it happens again, I'm definitely going to do that."