Braves: Three exciting opponents coming to Truist Park in 2022
The 2022 season is getting close (hopefully), and the Atlanta Braves have some fun matchups to look forward to at home.
2021 will forever go down as one of the all-time great years in Atlanta Braves history. After a season of injuries, mediocre performances early on, timely trades, and a legendary postseason run, the Braves took home their first World Series since 1995.
None of us will forget the iconic moments from 2021, from Ronald Acuña Jr.’s hot start to the season, Pablo Sandoval’s multiple pinch hit home runs, the arrival of Joctober, and the legendary NLCS and World Series play from Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler. We will be speaking about the players from this team for years to come.
Soon enough, it will be time for the Braves to defend their World Series Championship in 2022. I write this with some optimism that the current lockout will have ended by the time Opening Day rolls around because, like many of you, I am ready to watch some baseball.
As it has mostly been for the past decade or so, the 2022 season for the Braves will begin on the road, first with a trip to play the Miami Marlins on March 31st. The Braves will follow that series with a trip to New York to battle the Mets.
Looking ahead, here are some notable teams and series Atlanta will get to host at Truist Park in 2022:
First home series at Truist Park: April 7-10, 2022 vs. Cincinnati Reds
On April 1, 1996, the Atlanta Braves took the field at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in their season opener against the San Francisco Giants in front of 48,961 fans. For the first time ever, a pro sports team from Atlanta was taking the field as the defending World Champions in their respective sport. The Braves defeated the Giants that day 10-8 behind Greg Maddux and a big day for the offense.
On April 7, 2022, the Braves will yet again get to play as defending champions on their home field when they take on the Cincinnati Reds. Sadly, Greg Maddux will not be available to pitch in this game.
The Reds finished 2021 with an 83-79 record, 12 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central division and seven games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Wild Card. Despite their disappointing finish, the Reds featured several talented players, highlighted by NL Rookie of the Year winner Johnathan India. The 24 year old second baseman finished with a .269/.376/.459 slash-line with 21 home runs, 69 RBIs, an .835 OPS, and 113 OPS+.
The team also carries solid players like Joey Votto, Jesse Winker, and former Georgia Bulldog Kyle Farmer.
The atmosphere around the Battery will be electric as fans gather to see the first home defense of the World Series Championship, and the Cincinnati Reds should prove themselves as worthy opponents for the Braves’ home opener of 2022.
July 22-24, 2022 vs. Los Angeles Angels
The Braves will have the chance to play every team in the AL West division this year (spoiler alert: one team in particular will be highlighted in the next slide). Games against the Oakland A’s, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers will be on the road.
Two of the most exciting players in baseball today will be coming down south in July, as the Braves will get the chance to square off against Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and the rest of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Fellow Tomahawk Take writer Alan Carpenter wrote about this highly anticipated series a few months ago.
Trout has been the best player in baseball for the better part of a decade now. He has accumulated 76.1 bWAR, hit 310 home runs, and won three AL MVP awards. He is only 30 years old. Sadly, he has only been to the postseason one time in his career.
Trout spent much of the 2021 season injured, and the Angels missed his presence in a big way. They wound up finishing with a 77-85 record.
Ohtani is coming off of a historic season as a two-way player. The reigning MVP had 46 home runs and a .965 OPS on offense. He also pitched 130.1 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 156 strikeouts, and 141 ERA+. He also participated in the 2021 Home Run Derby and was the starting pitcher for the AL All Star team.
Combine these two with superstars on the Braves like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman (#re-signFreddie) and we could be seeing a mini All Star game at Truist Park.
The vibes for this series are similar to the game between the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls in March 1998, when over 62,000 fans flocked to the Georgia Dome to see Michael Jordan take on the Hawks one last time (as a member of the Bulls) before his second retirement. None of the above-mentioned players are close to retiring yet, but the star power in Atlanta this weekend should be a massive draw for baseball fans in Braves country.
August 19-21, 2022 vs. Houston Astros
I think this one is pretty self explanatory.
The team that the Atlanta Braves defeated in six games to win the 2021 World Series Championship will be coming to Truist Park in the middle of August. You better believe that the Astros will be ready to serve up some revenge on Atlanta.
Braves fans will also be ready to troll Astros players because, well, the whole Astros’ cheating scandal from a few years ago is still fresh in everyone’s mind.
The Braves were 2-1 overall against the Astros at home during the World Series. It looked as if Atlanta was going to close out the series at home in game five after Adam Duvall hit a massive grand slam in the first inning.
GRAND SLAM!! WHAT A WAY TO START GAME 5!
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 1, 2021
Adam Duvall go off!! #BattleATL pic.twitter.com/aA71V0oOmU
Unfortunately, the Braves were only able to score one more run in that game and were defeated. The series went back to Houston for game six, where the Braves would shut out the Astros 7-0 behind a brilliant performance from Max Fried and some timely homers throughout the night.
Despite their loss, the Astros should come into 2022 as favorites to win the World Series. They have a stacked roster that features returning stars like Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, and a returning Justin Verlander. Carlos Correa could also return next season.
Other games will have interesting storylines as the season progresses, but these three matchups in Atlanta are the ones that should provide some fireworks for Braves fans next season. Here’s to hoping that the lockout can be resolved soon so we can all enjoy America’s pastime together.
Go Braves.