Braves Magic Number Drops to 6 After Exciting Series Win Over Pirates

The Atlanta Braves have clinched a playoff berth at minimum after their win on Sunday. Since the Phillies lost, the magic number to win the division is down to six, the number worn by long-time Braves' skipper, Bobby Cox.

Detroit Tigers v Atlanta Braves
Detroit Tigers v Atlanta Braves / Daniel Shirey/GettyImages

The Atlanta Braves ended their home stand with a series win against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon. Miami took the rubber match of their series with the Phillies, resulting in a magic number of 6 for the Braves to win the NL East. This is the number worn by long-time Braves' manager: Bobby Cox.

In two separate stints, Cox was at the helm of the ship for the Atlanta Braves for a quarter of a century. He tallied over 2,100 wins as the Braves manager to go along with five National League pennants and one World Series title.

There is no doubt that Bobby Cox is one of the best managers in MLB history. Anytime former players of Bobby's get a chance, they offer high praise for how great he was as a leader. Cox created a culture in the Braves' organization that kept the integrity of the game that players wanted to be a part of.

One of the biggest reasons so many players enjoyed playing for Cox was because he was not scared to stand up for them. Besides being a great manager, Bobby Cox is probably most known for his high tendency to get ejected from games.

Cox actually holds the record for most managerial ejections in MLB history. In his 29 years of service, (25 with the Braves and 4 with the Blue Jays), he was ejected a total of 162 times, the amount of games played in a full MLB season.

Bobby Cox sadly suffered a stroke in 2019 and has seemed to be fighting health battles ever since. However, at 82 years of age, he still wants to keep up with the Atlanta Braves and finds great joy in the team's success.

As the Braves head into Philadelphia on Monday, they will look to win their sixth straight division title for number six, Bobby Cox.