After a season that didn’t go as expected, the Atlanta Braves are back in a familiar place. The postseason.
The Braves dealt with a long list of injuries, including losing their MVP outfielder and top pitcher, and had a tense final day to secure their seventh consecutive playoff appearance with a 3-0 win over the New York Mets in the second game of a makeup doubleheader on Monday.
Atlanta now faces a quick turnaround as they travel across the country to play the San Diego Padres in a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series starting Tuesday.
“It feels really good and really satisfying,” longtime manager Brian Snitker said. “I’m just so proud of the whole group.”
While Atlanta’s six-year run of NL East titles was ended by the Philadelphia Phillies, there were no complaints considering all the challenges the team faced.
Spencer Strider, who had a 20-win season and set a franchise record with 281 strikeouts, made only two starts before his season ended due to an elbow injury.
Ronald Acuña Jr., the unanimous NL MVP in 2023, became the first player in baseball history to hit 40 homers and steal 70 bases, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in late May.
Acuña and Strider were the biggest losses, but they were just part of a long list of injuries that affected the Braves all year.
Slugging third baseman Austin Riley broke his hand in mid-August and has been ruled out for the playoffs. Key reliever A.J. Minter is also finished for the year after having hip surgery. Second baseman Ozzie Albies and center fielder Michael Harris Jr. have returned after missing a lot of time.
At one point late in the season, the Braves had a regular lineup that included three players—Gio Urshela, Ramón Laureano, and Whit Merrifield—who joined Atlanta after being released by other teams. Marcell Ozuna was the only consistent hitter, having another strong year with 39 homers and 104 RBIs.
Despite everything, the Braves kept pushing through.
“Obviously I want to be out there, but I’m just super, super proud,” Riley said. “Just the willingness to keep going and not give up. We’ve had a ton of injuries, but anything can happen in the postseason. We’ve got our foot in the door and that’s all you can ask for.”
The Braves entered the last week of the regular season two games behind the Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks for the last two wild-card spots.
They found themselves in a must-win situation after losing 8-7 to the Mets in the first game of a doubleheader, giving up leads of 3-0 in the eighth inning and 7-6 in the ninth. Atlanta catcher Travis d’Arnaud praised the team’s clubhouse culture.
“We’ve always had each other’s backs,” he said. “When we were going through our lull in the middle of the year, we all had each other’s backs, and that has made us stronger today. We never give up and we believe we can win any game.”
The Braves did not look for excuses, even as injuries piled up.
“We lost last year’s MVP. That was a gut punch. But nobody felt sorry for us,” d’Arnaud said. “They all want to get to the playoffs and when our big guys went down, I’m sure they all felt a little better about our chances of not making it. … We knew we had to keep going and now fate is in our hands.”
After depending on an offense that tied a big league record with 307 homers in 2023, the Braves relied on their familiar strength—pitching—to help them return to the playoffs.
In a twist on the injury theme, Chris Sale was traded from the Red Sox and had his first mostly healthy season since 2018, although a back issue has raised concerns about whether he can play in the postseason.
The 35-year-old left-hander proved he is still one of the best pitchers, going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA, making him the favorite for the first Cy Young Award of his career.
Reynaldo López was another surprise. He was signed as a free agent and returned to a starting role after spending several seasons in the bullpen, finishing with an 8-5 record and an impressive 1.99 ERA.
“I just couldn’t have expected this type of season,” López said through an interpreter. “It’s been tremendous.”
Sale and López joined returning pitchers Max Fried and Charlie Morton, along with rookie Spencer Schwellenbach, to create one of the top rotations in baseball. The bullpen was strong as well, led by closer Raisel Iglesias.
Now, after two straight playoff exits with much better teams, the Braves are hoping to repeat their surprising run to a World Series championship in 2021.
That team won it all after losing Acuña and putting together a completely new outfield at the trade deadline.
“All we really care about,” López said, “is getting a ring on our finger at the end of the day.”
