I normally don’t write about the Major League team, not because I don’t have the same passion for them that I have for the minor league, because I do. Its just not what I've set out to do with my writing. But when the Braves have a series like they just did against a team like the Dodgers, it has to be done.
The braves have had its fair share of crazy emotional moments this year, far to many to put into one single article, but this series has to be at the top of the list for me.
It looked like they were heading into a downward spiral after getting swept by the Twins and losing the series to the Brewers. It felt like they were on the path to losing the division lead and potentially having a tough draw in the playoffs.
This past series could change everything. The Dodgers, the team with a billion dollar roster, All-Stars everywhere in the lineup and on the pitching staff. And somehow, the braves went toe to toe with them.
This series had October baseball written all over it. Fans on the edge of their seats, hanging onto every pitch and every at bat. The atmosphere in Truist Park was electric, and every game had the kind of drama would make Kevin Costner want to make his next baseball movie about.
Braves would start off innings off hot, and the Dodgers answer back with runs of their own. Neither team wanted to give an inch. Braves starting pitching performed about as well as you could hope. Bryce Elder took the first game and limited them to just three runs. The offense did what needed to be done and put up enough runs to go up 4-3 and Iggy had a gutsy performance in the 9th to secure a win.
AJ Smith-Shawver had game 2 and pitched as good as you could imagine, especially considering he is still shaking off the rust after having Tommy John surgery. The bullpen ran into some trouble and gave up the lead, but the lights out performances from Fuentes and Mederos kept the game tied heading into the 9th. Then the most unlikely thing happened. After Lane Thomas hit a double Ha-Seong Kim came in to pinch hit. A guy that hasn’t had a hit since June 3rd and was in a 0-27 slump. He was due for one and after working an eight pitch at bat he roped a single into the outfield to score Thomas and walk off the Dodgers and secure the series win.
Game 3 was a great pitching matchup. Chris Sale vs Yoshi Yamamoto. The Braves looked like they were going to get off to a hot start like the previous games when Drake Baldwin hit a lead off home run, but after that the offense went stagnant. But Sale said “that’s all he needs to get the win”. You know that saying “You cant teach an old dog new tricks”? Well, if that old dog’s fastball can reach 100 mph maybe he doesn’t need any new tricks.
Sale was lights out, he was untouchable! Even when he did give up a hit, it didn’t matter. He came right back and found a way to get out of it. Every inning felt like he was challenging the Dodgers to try and do something, but they couldn’t. He ended up throwing a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and had ZERO walks. It took everything he had last night. His pitch count climbed up to 109, but he refused to hand the ball over.
Fans may tell you that the Braves aren’t a playoff team. That they don’t have enough offense to win once October comes around. I’m not saying they’ll win the World Series. But i will say most of the time when this teams back is against the wall and they need a win, they find a way to get them. That’s what championship winning teams do. The baseball season is 162 games. Your going to lose some of them, and have stretches where the bats aren’t clicking and the pitching isn’t where you want it to be. That’s just baseball.
We have some dawgs on this team. Whether its Matt Olson hitting a no doubter and looking at the in disgust like “Did he really just throw that pith to me?” Or Fuentes and Mederos dropping their you-know-what’s on opposing batters to get out of tough jams. These are the moments that we’ll look back on at the end of the season and say “Damn that was fun to watch”
This team may not have a billion dollar roster. They may not have deferred contracts that allow a team to have a lineup full of All-Stars. And they may not have a Japan WBC team on their pitching staff. but you don’t need that. You just need guys that buy into what the team is trying to do, believe in the manager, and go out there and play their butts off.
Maybe I’m just an overly optimistic Braves fan. Maybe I'm crazy for thinking this series could change the outcome of the rest of the season. Maybe I'm reading too much into a three game series against the Dodgers. But watching this team fight, watching guys step up when they are needed, and watching them refuse to let a bad stretch of baseball turn into something bigger has me believing. I don’t know what the rest of the season has in store but I do know I like our chances.
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