I was combing through all my extra points on the Atlanta Braves throughout this season and here are a couple of the statements I wrote.
“Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did”, I said about Atlanta when Ronald Acuna went down. “Everything has to go right for them to just make the playoffs”
“You could open up your newspaper to the obituaries and see the Braves logo front and center”…. That was midway through the season.
Instead….. (audio)
Dan Shulman’s call on ESPN Radio serves as the exclamation point in a fun, dramatic, roller coaster ride of a season for the Atlanta Braves.
Just like all my friends and their families I grew up with, I became a Braves fan along with them.
It’s remarkable. The Braves would reach .500 seven times throughout the season, but fail to pass the threshold as a winning team, until finally on August 6th, they beat the Nationals going 56-55, and would never be a losing team again.
We’ve documented the in-season acquisitions many a times, but when Joc Pederson plays a huge part in winning the NLDS, Eddie Rosario wins NLCS MVP, and Jorge Soler wins the World Series MVP, that’s seeing three 7’s on the slot machine.
Not to mention all the absences they dealt with outside of losing a guy that could have won season MVP at a crucial time.
Max Fried who was excellent in last night’s game hit the IL mid year, their 2019 All-Star in Mike Soroka never threw a pitch, and a talented bat we won’t publicize missed most of the year for good reason.
With all of the genuine reasons to doubt this team, they find a way to prevail. Freddie Freeman can’t stop smiling, Brian Snitker becomes our favorite person, and the Braves win the 2021 World Series title.
