On Tuesday, November 7th, the Atlanta Braves soundly beat the Houston Astros 7-0 to win the organization’s fourth World Series ring.
With one of the longest home runs in postseason history, Jorge Soler got the Braves going in the top of the third, and they never let up once. The Braves’ starting pitcher, Max Fried, threw a gem. He breezed through six scoreless innings after an injury scare in the first that occurred when Astros outfielder, Michael Brantly, accidentally stepped on Fried’s ankle before stepping on first base. The gruesome play replayed on the broadcast, as fans wondered how he was still pitching. When asked about the injury scare, Fried said, “[It] kind of refocused me.” He knew it was going to be his last game of the year, so even though he had nothing left, Fried found something to give. And while the World Series itself was a memorable six games, the real storylines come from the start of the season, or even as far back as 2017.
The Atlanta Braves were poised to be a fun team to watch in 2021. With former National League Rookie of the Year outfielder Ronald Acuna side by side with another great outfielder, Marcell Ozuna, and classic Braves favorites like Freddie Freeman, The National League East was entirely in the Braves’ hands. Then disaster struck in more forms than one. Acuna, an MVP caliber player, played just 82 games, tearing his ACL in the outfield. Marcell Ozuna, who had one of the best 2020 seasons of all MLB players, went on administrative leave amidst allegations of domestic abuse. Mike Soroka, with a career 2.86 ERA, re-tore his Achilles tendon while walking to the clubhouse. Veteran Braves player and the 2020 National league’s Most Valuable Player, Freddie Freeman, hit a major slump. Just like that, everyone said the Braves season was over. They were no longer first, and without some of their stars, they had no chance.
They really should have had no chance, but Atlanta showed resilience, never once giving in and staying on top of the season. In the absence of Acuna, Ozuna, Soroka, and others, new stars emerged. Dansby Swanson had one of his best career seasons to date, carrying that momentum into the playoffs with big home runs when they counted. Ozzie Albies once again flashed the consistency that makes him such an important bottom of the lineup hitter, Austin Riley came up with the big hits in the big moments, and Jorge Soler helped power the Braves back into first. The chemistry of the Atlanta Braves team far and away exceeded that of the Astros and The Baby Braves finally grew into the team everyone around baseball knew they had a chance to be.
On the flip side, this was the first time the Houston Astros appeared in a World Series since their win in 2017, which had topped off a season of cheating and lies. Following headlines like “The Houston Astros cheating scandal hangs over this World Series,” the baseball world was not ready to forgive and forget that easily. The scandal put a big black mark over this season, which was initially praised for its innovative use of metrics. Needless to say, unless you were from Houston, you had an obvious favorite for the 2021 World Series. Everyone was a Braves fan. Whether it was to see Freddie Freeman get a ring after twelve years, or just to see the cheaters lose when it really counts, public opinion was overwhelmingly for the Braves. And they delivered. For the first time since 1995, under the management of Bobby Snitker, the Atlanta Braves won the trophy. They did it for Acuna, Soroka, and all the others that could not be on the field with them. They did it for the city of Atlanta, but most importantly, they did it for baseball.
Works Cited
https://www.mlb.com/news/max-fried-ankle-close-play-world-series-game-6
