by Nathan Dollinger
The Atlanta Braves have won the National League East Division (NL East) for the past four seasons, but have not played in a world series since 1999. In 2018, the Braves were defeated in the National League Division Series(NLDS) by the Los Angeles Dodgers. After another successful regular season in 2019, the Braves lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2019 NLDS.
Due to Covid-19, the MLB settled on having a 60 game regular season for the 2020 season. The Braves won the NL east for the third straight year in 2020 and were tired of first round exits.
In the 2020 MLB Playoffs, the Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card Series, sweeping them 2-0. Next, The Braves beat the Miami Marlins in the NLDS sweeping them 3-0. As they advanced to the NLCS in 2020, they had a rematch against the Dodgers. After the Braves won 3 out of the first 4 games of the series, the Dodgers had a remarkable comeback as the Braves blew a 3-1 series lead.
The Braves had a rough start to the 2021 season. Right before the All-star break, Ronald Acuña Jr, one of the best players in baseball, tore his ACL and had season ending surgery. After losing their best player, they finished with a 44-45 record in the first half of the season. After making many impactful moves at the trade deadline, the Braves went 44-28 in the second half of the season, finishing with an 88-73 record and winning the NL east for the 4th straight year.
In the 2021 NLDS, the Braves played the Milwaukee Brewers. After losing the first game, the Braves won the next three, winning the series 3-1. In the NLCS, they had a rematch with the Dodgers. The Braves won the series 4-2 and have moved on to the World Series for the first time since 1999.
In Game 1 of the 2021 World Series, the Braves took an early lead in the series and won Game 1 by a score of 6-2. In Game 2, the Astros won 7-2 and tied the series 1-1. Next, the Braves took a 2-1 lead in the series, winning Game 3 2-0. In Game 4, the Braves won 3-2 and took a 3-1 lead in the series. With a comfortable 3-1 lead, the Game 5 was played in Truist Park where the Braves had been 7-0 during the 2021 Postseason. In the first inning of Game 5, Adam Duvall hit a Grand Slam to give the Braves a 4-0 lead early. After pitching struggles, the Astros came back and won Game 5 by a score of 9-5. Game 6 will be played in Houston tonight at 8pm est. They are hoping to win their first World Series since 1995 tonight!
Update: Friday, November 5: As the Braves won the 2021 World Series, they celebrated by having a Parade. The Parade started in Downtown Atlanta, and made its way to Truist Park. They drove by in buses and trucks with fans going crazy and cheering for the 2021 Champions. The Braves exceeded expectations in the 2021 season. They got of to a rough start in the first half, and the first half ended with their superstar, Ronald Acuña Jr. suffering a season ending injury. Everyone doubted us and we battled back and won our first World Series since 1995.
