1. Tyler Matzek turns himself into a Braves postseason hero
We mentioned the unexpected becoming royalty in the eyes of fans with our last ranking of Rosario. Our top moment is the pinnacle of just that. I’ve heard Braves fans go as far as saying it’s the single greatest postseason moment in Braves history. I’m certainly not here to argue otherwise.
To give this story it’s proper good feels you have to give some context. Our hero, Tyler Matzek, was out of baseball entirely for five years before he earned his way onto the Braves 2020 roster. He battled the yips and was at the brink of losing his baseball career before he opened eyes in Atlanta’s 2020 spring training.
In 2020 Matzek was reestablishing himself a major leaguer. By 2021 his high velocity fastball and wipeout breaking ball had turned him into a serious weapon for manager Brain Snitker. And in the biggest moment of the postseason it was Matzek who was trusted to come up clutch.
The Braves held a 3-2 series lead and were looking to clinch a trip to the World Series on their home-field. Eddie Rosario provided them with a 4-2 lead in game six and the game reached the seventh inning.
As we’ve said before the Dodgers refused to lie down and accept defeat. In the seventh they mounted a rally getting runners on second and third with no one out off of Luke Jackson. As a fan born in 1996, every possible bad outcome raced through my head. The Dodgers were going to comeback in this game and from down 3-1 in the series for the second year in a row weren’t they?
In stepped our hero. The man who single-handedly allowed an entire fanbase to breathe a sigh of relief. As I’m sure many of you know by now the rest is history, but just for fun feel free to relive that moment in the video posted below.
Still get chills? Yep, me too. Matzek struck out three straight Dodgers hitters and Truist Park erupted. That reaction from Matzek, that reaction from every Braves fan in that stadium, and watching at home was priceless. And that is why it is the top moment in this high intensity rivalry.
Of course this is a list made in 2023, so I won’t be surprised if I find myself writing a new one in a few years time.