The Atlanta Braves in elimination games: bad things happen
Here’s another piece of recent Atlanta Braves history that needs to be reversed tonight.
The elimination game. The cliches are abundant: “win or go home”, “all or nothing”, “all hands on deck”, and such. For the Atlanta Braves, though, the “anything can happen” phrase is one they know all too well.
2019
A Game 5 in the best-of-5 series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals. The Braves clearly had the better team, but the “big hit” eluded them in a critical Game 4 loss, which led to — yep: that infamous 10-run first inning in Game 5.
Everything after that inning was anti-climactic.
2018
This was a 3-1 series win by the Dodgers, but in that 4th game, the Braves actually held a 2-1 lead after the completion of the 5th inning. This after the emotional Game 3 win featuring that Ronald Acuna grand slam… so Atlanta did survive 1 elimination game here.
Alas in Game 4, Jonny Venters held serve for 1 inning, but not a second: the Dodgers forced 3 singles through that scored 2 runs, and then sealed the deal with a 3-run homer in the 7th as Chad Sobotka had nothing to give that day.
2013
Another NLDS against the Dodgers, with the blue-man crew winning in 4 games.
The Braves were winning the elimination game 3-2 in the 8th inning, but this was the Juan Uribe homer game where Craig Kimbrel became the lonely closer who was outstanding in his own bullpen… but who never got to the mound.
2012
Let’s usher in the era of the Wild Card by being a Wild Card team! Great — since the Braves got to host this contest against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Well, the Braves started well with 2 quick runs in the 2nd, thanks to a David Ross homer. In the 4th, however, Kris Medlen ran into big trouble and the Cards got 3 runs on 2 hits and a rare error (by Chipper).
The Cards tacked on 3 more runs into the 7th, but Atlanta got one of those back in the bottom half to trail 6-3.
Then with 2 runners on and 1 out in the 8th, there’s the infamous and innocuous notation in the box score “Andrelton Simmons… popout to shortstop”.
This was the “Infield Fly Rule” game — a second out that was never actually made, but one that still counted, thanks to umpire Sam Holbrook, who apparently forgot that he wasn’t manning 3rd base that night (he was the left field line umpire, and thus still had the play roughly parallel to his position).
So instead of a bases-loaded, none out situation, the rally was effectively killed and the Braves started planning their Fall vacations.
Milestone Braves Games
2010
This time, it was the San Francisco Giants doing the damage, and Game 4 was the deciding game. It was also Bobby Cox‘s last managerial foray.
In losing to the eventual World Champions, it’s noteworthy, that the Braves tested the Giants severely: all games were decided by a single run and no team scored more than 5 runs in any game… with that 5-run outburst coming from the Braves in 11 innings.
This was also the year in which Buster “Posey was out” on a phantom stolen base in Game 1. He proceeded to score the only run of the game in a Giants victory. So in the realm of “anything can happen”, the Braves proved that during 2 consecutive playoff appearances.
In the elimination game, though, Atlanta led 2-1 entering the 7th until Juan Uribe — yes, it was him again — reached on a one-out grounder to short. That scored Aubrey Huff to tie the game and extended the inning for San Francisco.
They later got a second — and deciding — run that inning in the person of… Buster Posey.
2005
With Atlanta down 2 games to 1 at Houston, the teams opted to play twice… 18 innings, actually.
At this point, absolutely anything could have happened, and the 6th Braves pitcher of the night — Joey Devine — gave up the walk-off homer to Chris Burke.
Roger Clemens had been summoned to continue for the Astros — their eighth pitcher. The Braves managed only 1 base-runner in 3 innings off of him. 13 hits and 11 walks overall weren’t enough, though, as Atlanta fell 7-6.
2004
More Astros. This time is was a true elimination game for both teams with the series tied 2-2.
With the score tied at 3-all entering the 7th, the visiting Astros beat up on Chris Reitsma, Tony Martin, and Juan Cruz in the Atlanta Braves bullpen… scoring eight times in the next two frames.
The final score? 12-3 as only Paul Byrd was able to restore order to the proceedings… albeit far too late in the process.
2003
I admit forgetting about this one: a Game 5 (of 5) defeat at the hands of the Chicago Cubs. Up to that point, every game had been decided by exactly 2 runs as the teams alternated victories.
Alas, the Braves didn’t start first, and thus Game 5 was the Cubs’ turn to win as the Braves couldn’t get anything going against Kerry Wood.
Chicago was up 2-0 early, then 4-0 in the middle of the 6th, just prior to Atlanta’s lone tally. This became a 5-1 final.
A Braves Win? It’s Been a While
2002
Back to the Giants. The Braves held a 2-1 series lead, but notorious starter Livan Hernandez (from the years’ earlier “Eric Gregg game”) out-dueld Tom Glavine to force the 5th game.
In that one, Atlanta never led; but entering the 7th, they were only down 2-1. Alas, a double led to a sacrifice fly that inning, which provided enough insurance to salt away a 3-1 win.
2001
We’ve heard that this was the last year — before this one — in which the Braves had won a single playoff series. That was a 3-0 sweep of the Houston Astros.
However, the Diamondbacks proved a lot tougher, winning 4 games to 1 in the NLCS.
That 5th game started with an Arizona lead in the 4th that was quickly equaled by the Braves, but likewise answered by Arizona in the 5th as they took a 3-1 lead.
Atlanta finally got a second tally off of Randy Johnson in the 7th, but they went quietly in the 8th and 9th against the AZ bullpen… and were eliminated.
2000
Wasn’t pretty: a 3-0 series sweep by the Cardinals.
1999
Better overall, but the Yankees swept Atlanta in the World Series.
The Last Time
Let’s skip a couple and spin this back to 1996… the last Atlanta won a series while facing an elimination game.
In the 1996 NLCS, the Braves themselves had their backs to the wall by being in the same position that the Dodgers were 2 days ago: down 3 games to 1 in a best-of-seven.
The Braves then jumped all over the Cardinals. 14-0 in Game 5, 3-1 in Game 6, and then the clincher: 15-0 in Game 7.
In that last contest… well, it really wasn’t a contest… Atlanta put six runs on the board in the first inning against starter Donovan Osborne and later added crooked numbers in four other innings to win this one going away. Tom Glavine was fabulous and the bats were thundering.
So now, our 2020 Atlanta Braves need to jump out early with their bats as well.
- The bottom of their order hasn’t been producing… and often, even the plate appearances have been weak.
- The pitching is clearly at risk — having rookie Ian Anderson start is clearly risky, given that LA has now seen him; then again, there are no secrets held by either side at this point… and he’s the best hope Atlanta has.
- The Braves are still the underdog: they need to embrace that and come out fighting as a result.
- Defense has been good on both sides, but as we’ve seen over the years, even a single play could make a huge difference.
Next. Win it for the Minter?. dark
“Anything could happen” — and it’s about time that this team make something good happen for these Atlanta Braves.