In what proved to be one of the most momentous nights of the 2019 Atlanta Braves season, Austin Riley hit his first big-league home run in his debut.
And on top of that, starter Mike Soroka dazzled over seven shutout innings as the Atlanta Braves beat the Cardinals.
It was a game of storybook elements coming from so many places, and the win lifted the Atlanta Braves back above .500 (22-21) and to within 2.5 games of first place in the National League East.
The hype factor for Wednesday night’s contest against the St. Louis Cardinals was at fever pitch when it was announced that star prospect Austin Riley would be making his major league debut, and the kid didn’t disappoint.
His fourth-inning home run that was blasted into the outfield seats will be a moment that he, his teammates, and Braves fans won’t soon forget.
In case you missed it… AND WHY DID YOU?… here’s the video, courtesy of @FOX Sports/Braves on twitter:
AUSTIN RILEY IS FOR REAL pic.twitter.com/kWWYWGRGe5
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) May 16, 2019
This wasn’t cheap: A no-doubter deep into the Cobb County night! And after being lifted in the 8th inning for defensive replacement Charlie Culberson, the Braves didn’t lose anything on offense either as Culberson hit a 2-run dinger of his own.
Left-fielders 3… everybody else 1… Cardinals 0.
Not to be upstaged by his teammate, Mike Soroka tamed one of the fiercest lineups in the National League over the course of seven scoreless innings.
It continues a remarkable streak for the Atlanta Braves right-hander, who is making a name for himself as one of the elite starters in the National League.
The Braves responded with authority following Tuesday night’s blowout loss, and will face off in the rubber match of the three-game series with St. Louis on Thursday night.
Here’s three of the biggest takeaways from Atlanta’s impressive 4-0 win over the Cardinals.