The five best Atlanta Braves wins from a magical first half of 2019
Honorable Mentions
- Johan Camargo delivers a game-winner…twice.
It might be easy to skip over a couple of high-drama victories for the Braves in which Johan Camargo delivered the deciding blow. True, his numbers aren’t what they were in 2018, but the Atlanta utility man still comes through when it counts.
The first of which came way back on April 3rd against the Cubs, just the fifth game of the season, when Camargo – with the Braves trailing Chicago 4-2 in the 8th inning – nailed a bases-clearing double to the outfield gap, ultimately giving the Braves a win.
“Camar-goat” came through in the clutch again versus the Nationals on June 23rd, when his 10th-inning, pinch-hit blast propelled the Braves to a key 4-3 victory.
- Acuna gets his bat-flipping revenge
Every storybook season has to have its share of villains, and this villain – the Marlins’ Jose Urena – cemented his role as such in 2018 when he intentionally threw at Braves’ phenom Ronald Acuna, Jr.
The Braves got the last laugh – more than once.
The first of which came on May 3rd, when a redemption-seeking Kevin Gausman threw behind Urena with a payback pitch, then the Braves overwhelmed the Marlins starter for 5 runs in 6 innings. The second time? Acuna got his, destroying a Urena pitch in a June 7th contest, and admiring the home run for quite some time with the best bat flip of the season.
- Acuna, batting leadoff, hits the go-ahead shot
Those who have paid close attention to the 2019 Braves season know the importance of the game that took place on May 10th in Arizona.
The 2-1 triumph over the Diamondbacks might not be the “best” Braves win to date, but you could make a strong argument that it was the most impactful.
The lineup shuffle – which moved Ronald Acuna, Jr. to leadoff, Dansby Swanson to second, and Josh Donaldson to cleanup – paid immediate dividends when, in a tie ballgame in the 8th inning, Acuna stepped to the plate – with two outs – from his new spot in the order and banged out a go-ahead home run.
And the Braves haven’t slowed down since.
- Austin Riley’s dramatic debut
This game on May 15th vs the Cardinals was special for a number of reasons – Mike Soroka pitched a 7-inning shutout, for one – but it will always be remembered for Austin Riley’s first career major league home run.
In just his second at-bat ever in the big leagues, Riley, with family members in attendance, sent a pitch over the outfield wall, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
- Riley, Albies lift Braves to walk-off win in 11-inning thriller
Crazy things tend to happen when the Braves hook up with the Pirates.
The 11-inning affair on June 12th was another chapter to that book, especially when Austin Riley added to his folklore-like status by smashing a game-tying homer in the 9th inning. Even more so when Ozzie Albies doubled to the outfield, scoring Riley, in the decisive 11th.
It must be said…there are countless others worthy of mention. You could go up and down through this season’s highlights.
It’s just been that kind of magic in Atlanta so far, with hopefully lots more to come.
With that said, here’s (finally) your Top Five.