The Braves have certainly taken fans on a roller-coaster ride this season. Injuries piled up relentlessly—Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, and Max Fried, to name a few, found themselves on the injured list at some point.
The NL East division title, something Braves fans had grown accustomed to celebrating, slipped away as the Philadelphia Phillies pulled ahead. The wild-card race was as tight as it gets, making it seem like every game was life or death.
Then, the schedule got wrecked by a hurricane and a bonus day of regular-season baseball was thrown into the mix. But despite all the chaos, none of it could stop the Braves from punching their postseason ticket for the seventh consecutive season. In the second game of a makeup doubleheader against the New York Mets, Atlanta clinched their spot with a 3-0 win.
It was game 162, and after enduring blow after blow, the Braves are now headed to San Diego for the Wild Card Series against the Padres, which kicks off Tuesday. Unfortunately for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who could only watch helplessly from their dugout in Phoenix, this victory knocked them out of playoff contention.
It wasn’t easy. In the first game of the doubleheader, the Braves blew not one but two leads—3-0 and 7-6—and lost in a heartbreaking 8-7 stunner. To make matters worse, ace Chris Sale, who’d been held in reserve for a possible must-win nightcap, had to be scratched due to back spasms. Just when it seemed like things couldn’t get worse, they did.
With Sale out, the Braves turned to right-hander Grant Holmes, who had only 10 minutes’ notice. The bullpen mainstay stepped up and delivered four shutout innings against a Mets team that had already secured their postseason spot. On the offensive side, Atlanta mustered just enough to seal the 3-0 win and send the team into October baseball once again.
This year’s Braves aren’t walking into the postseason as division champions, but they’re still a dangerous team. The injuries have piled up, the division title is out of reach, and they’ve had their share of setbacks. But starting pitchers like Max Fried and the now Cy Young contender Chris Sale, not to mention a deep bullpen led by Raisel Iglesias, keep them firmly in championship contention.
Manager Brian Snitker has been dealt a tough hand, but even with stars like Acuña and Riley sidelined, the Braves remain a threat. If they can piece together some postseason magic, they’ll be looking to make up for back-to-back NLDS exits and try to repeat their 2021 World Series glory. It’s been a long, painful season, but as the Braves head to San Diego, one thing is clear—they’re not going down without a fight.
