2024 turned out to be the year that the Atlanta Braves had their streak of six consecutive division titles snapped. The Philadelphia Phillies took the National League East with an impressive 95-67 regular season record.
Atlanta tied with the surprisingly good New York Mets for second place in the division with a 89-73 record. While this is far from what the Braves expected when the season began, Atlanta was still able to make it to October via the NL Wild Card bid.
Braves defy historic odds by making playoffs despite injuries to key players
When you think of historic Atlanta Braves teams you probably think of the two World Series championships or the unbelievable 14 consecutive division title run. Well, believe it or not, the 2024 Atlanta Braves are in a league of their own.
The @Braves:
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 1, 2024
4/5: Strider season-ending injury
5/26: Acuña season-ending injury
8/18: Riley season-ending injury
No other MLB team has ever made the playoffs in a year where 3 of their Opening Day starters missed the final 35+ regular-season games (plus the playoffs) on the IL. pic.twitter.com/xWvx2rr073
No MLB team has ever made the postseason when three of their Opening Day starters missed the final 35+ regular-season games on the injured list. This feat was unfortunately accomplished by the Braves in 2024.
If there is a team in Major League Baseball that's faced adversity this season, it is the Atlanta Braves. Losing a slew of significant pieces for an extended amount of time due to injury dug Atlanta into a hole they almost couldn't dig out of.
Of course, GM Alex Anthopoulos worked his magic to make the proper acquisitions to try and counter these devastating losses. With unsung heroes like Whit Merrifield, Gio Urshela, Jorge Soler, and Spencer Schwellenbach filling in the gaps, the Braves were able to end their season on a high note and make it to the postseason.
Much like many Braves fans across the country, Brian Snitker sees this as a major accomplishment and is aware that anything can happen in October. Ever since the deadline, Braves fans have been trying to manifest this team into the 2021 World Series squad. While that is unlikely, the Braves skipper hinted at being able to do something special in the postseason.
We’re in now, fellas! pic.twitter.com/VK5o9vGaxb
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 30, 2024
Atlanta certainly faced an almost impossible task as they faced the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card series after having completed a doubleheader the day before. Game One went about as poorly as it could have as the Padres struck out 15 Braves batters in a 4-0 win. Atlanta will turn to Max Fried in Game Two for a win-or-go-home scenario.
Regardless of the outcome, this Braves team has in 2024, the entire organization and fan base should be proud that the players stayed resilient and made it to the playoffs with so many things stacked against them.