Braves fan Jimmie Boulware attends 500th consecutive home game

His streak began on June 14, 2019 (it excludes the 2020 campaign in which tickets were unavailable due to the pandemic).

“I don’t know, I love baseball,” Boulware said when asked why he’s so dedicated. “I’ve had season tickets for so long, so if I sell seats and I’m not here, then I’m just going to go home and watch it on TV. Then if something happens, I won’t be here.

“I’d rather be here.”

Boulware is a popular figure at Truist Park, sporting a Santa Claus-esque beard and typically a sleeveless shirt that showcases his tattoos. He’s a jovial presence and always eager to talk baseball. Person after person said hello to Boulware as he chatted with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the upper-level concourse Tuesday.

Regulars at games might be well aware of his dedication; the folks in his section even consider him family. He’s a beloved character at the ballpark among friends and strangers (one kid passed by with his mother and seemed taken aback by Boulware’s resemblance to Santa. He reminded the child to behave well.)

There’s a cliché that says you never know what you’ll see at a ballpark. Rest assured, come rain or shine, day or night, one game or two, you’ll find Boulware at this one.

“That’s probably more of a commitment than we make,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson, who’s played 852 consecutive games, said upon learning about Boulware’s streak. “This guy is working double time. That’s pretty cool. Five hundred is a lot, but I’m not really shocked. There are a lot of good fans here and people who legitimately love baseball. That’s really cool.”

Boulware hails from Clinton, Mississippi, and attended Mississippi State. He had family in Atlanta growing up, so he’d visit every summer with an emphasis on seeing Six Flags and the Braves.

He and his late wife Teresa moved to Atlanta after college. He attended plenty of Braves games across all three stadiums, though his commitment evolved in more recent seasons. Teresa died nearly 12 years ago, and their two daughters had grown up, so Boulware decided his energy would be invested in family, church and work — with his free time going to his favorite team.

“I have nothing else to do but come to Braves games,” he said.

Boulware has spent 37 years as a project manager at SGX, which creates printing plates that transfer graphics and branding onto corrugated boxes. The office isn’t far from Truist Park, which is convenient for Boulware, a Hiram resident.

He typically works early mornings and gets off at 3 p.m., then making his commute to The Battery (“It’s good on bobblehead days because then you’re at the front of the line,” he notes).

He’ll adjust his work schedule however needed based on the Braves’ schedule — his employer is cooperative. He’ll take a vacation day when the team plays a matinee, for example, or tweak his hours to make a doubleheader work. He’s a couple of years away from retirement, so his schedule will open more soon enough.

And yes, he intends for this run to extend into his retirement years. He’s never even come close to missing a game during this time, he said. Retirement life will just allow him to sleep in later and have a bit more free time before fulfilling his fan duties.

Boulware wasn’t trying to assemble a streak. He didn’t notice his achievement until he was approaching his 300th straight game (the team and its app track attendance). “After 300, it became a thing,” he said.

He’d had 40-game season tickets in the early 1990s — kids and other responsibilities made an 81-game commitment a bit rich — and resumed his commitment in the 2000s. His daughters grew up loving Turner Field and visiting the Braves at spring training at Disney World. His grandkids are growing up with Truist Park.

Last summer was tougher on Boulware as an attendee. Braves fans are a bit spoiled, after all, with all this success. The Braves’ injury-ridden 2025 campaign took a lot out of everybody, but the 2026 resurgence has skyrocketed fan optimism again as the Braves have steadily held one of the best records in baseball.

“We’re good,” Boulware said, unfazed by the team losing consecutive series for the first time this season. “As soon as (Austin) Riley starts hitting, love (Mauricio) Dubón. We have to re-sign that guy. Getting (Drake) Baldwin back. You have Olson and Ozzie (Albies), they’ve been hitting like crazy. (Ronald) Acuña (Jr.) will be back. We’ll be fine.”