| 1 | Atlanta Braves right fielder Nick Markakis catches a fly ball hit by St. Louis Cardinals' Jhonny Peralta during the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 25, 2015, in St. Louis. |
| 2 | Sitting in the visiting dugout at Camden Yards, Nick Markakis felt at home and a bit out of place at the same time. |
| 3 | Markakis played his entire major league career with the Orioles before signing during the offseason with the Atlanta Braves, who were in town Monday for the start of a three-game series. |
| 4 | "I'd spent nine years here and I'd never even been in this clubhouse or this dugout," Markakis said before batting practice. |
| 5 | "So that tells you a little bit about how I feel. It's a little weird, but you know, life throws you a bunch of curves and it's all about how you deal with it." |
| 6 | While with the Orioles, Markakis hit .290 with 141 homers and 658 RBIs in 1,365 games. |
| 7 | He thought he would spend his entire career in Baltimore, but the Orioles opted not to match Atlanta's contract offer of $44 million over four years. |
| 8 | "I understand the business aspect of baseball now," Markakis, 31, said. |
| 9 | "It's a tough thing to go through - especially when you're attached to a baseball team, an organization for so long. It took a little time to get over it." |
| 10 | His association with Baltimore extended well beyond Camden Yards. |
| 11 | Markakis and his wife, Christina, were an integral part of the community. |
| 12 | "He'll be received very well," Orioles manager Buck Showalter predicted. |
| 13 | "We have intelligent fans and they know the contribution he made to not only the organization, but the city, on and off the field." |
| 14 | Markakis was penciled into the Atlanta lineup as the leadoff hitter. |
| 15 | He came in batting .286 with one homer and 32 RBIs. |
| 16 | "We all know he's going to get about nine hits the next three days," Showalter said. |
| 17 | Markakis was asked how it might feel seeing Showalter across the diamond in the opposing team's dugout. |
| 18 | "It's going to be a little different," Markakis acknowledged. |
| 19 | "But at the end of the day, I've got a job to do, and that's to try and beat these guys." |
| 20 | Most other times, however, Markakis roots for his former teammates. |