This past weekend was an unforgettable one for Eli White.

The former Clemson standout was part of Major League Baseball history, as he and the Atlanta Braves played the Cincinnati Reds in the inaugural MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.

It marked the first-ever MLB game in the state of Tennessee and the first to take place at a NASCAR racetrack. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday night, but it was suspended in the first inning due to inclement weather and postponed until Sunday afternoon.

Just playing in the historic game with his Braves team was special for White. But making the game even more special for him was his personal performance.

White — a Greenville native who played at Clemson from 2014-16 – hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the second inning and then later added a solo homer in the seventh inning of the Braves’ eventual 4-2 victory over the Reds.

“It’s super special for me, and to have my wife here to get to experience it with me, it’s just a great experience being here,” White said in a postgame interview with Fox Sports’ Tom Verducci.

“Just trying to soak it all in, and to be able to have a big day and come through for the team is something I’ll cherish for a long time.”

It marked the second multi-homer game of White’s MLB career and his first this season. It was also his first four-RBI game.

The 31-year-old outfielder entered the MLB Speedway Classic with four homers in 197 at-bats this season before blasting two homers in his four at-bats Sunday.

“It was great. Personally, just a confidence builder at the plate,” White said of his performance. “But then also, just a great experience to be able to get the win and come through for the team is huge. So, just super excited.”

White recounted what it was like to hit his first homer of the game – the first one at a racetrack in MLB history.

“I kind of blacked out, honestly, running around the bases,” White said. “The bullpen was getting on me when I went out there to right [field], because I didn’t acknowledge them. But no, that was a super cool experience. Just to be able to come through for the team there and get a few runs on the board was big.”

Back in December 2022, White was traded to the Braves from the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations.

Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, White played three seasons (2020-22) in the majors with Texas after being traded to the Rangers from the A’s in 2018.

At Clemson, White was the starting shortstop during all of the 2015 and 2016 seasons. For his college career, he hit .275 with a .375 on-base percentage in 153 games (133 starts) over three seasons (2014-16) while notching 22 doubles, four triples, eight homers, 61 RBIs, 104 runs and 36 steals.

Braves manager Brian Snitker was happy to see White shine with his two-homer performance in what was a first-of-its-kind game.

“Any time Eli does good, I feel good. … You root for the good guys … But that was awesome, what Eli did,” Snitker said.

–Photo courtesy of Bryan Lynn-Imagn Images