Braves Magic Number to Win the NL East is now 19 games

another win last night for the Atlanta Braves, their record has now improved to 85-44. The magic number to win the division now sits at 19.

It is difficult to look at the number 19 and not think of former Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons. In his time with the Atlanta Braves, Simmons appeared on multiple highlight reels. His offense at times was a concern but he made up for it with his glove and high baseball IQ. 

Simmons was not the only Braves shortstop in recent memory to wear the number 19. Yunel Escobar also had it stitched on his Atlanta uni from 2007-2010.

We could most certainly write about how Andrelton Simmons became the best defensive shortstop in the game but we thought we’d just let you reminisce on some of his ridiculous highlights. 

19 is also the number of games above .500 the Atlanta Braves are in 2023. It seems that even really good teams typically play way better at home or way better on the road. This season the Braves have won more than consistently at and away from Truist Park. 

A record of 44-22 at home plus a 42-23 road record equals out to the Braves current record of 85-44. 

At home, the team has hit .279 with 126 homers in 2023. Away from Truist Park, they are hitting .272 with 121 long balls. The offense is slightly better when Atlanta is the host but they also put up more than respectable numbers as the visiting squad. 

Another factor that has played into being so successful on the road is the Braves pitching staff. Atlanta pitchers actually have a lower ERA when they are not on their home mound. 

The team ERA at home sits at 3.92. On the road, it is 3.68. Now if you dig deep into the statistics, you will find that the ERA is the only pitching stat that is better on the road than at home.

While visiting other ballparks, Braves pitchers walk more batters. They have fewer strikeouts. Their opponents have a better batting average. Ultimately, all of those stars do not matter if fewer runs are being surrendered. 

When the pitching staff is holding opponents to under four runs, that gives this team a really good chance to win. They have done just that which has led to a road record 19 games above .500 but more importantly, a magic number of 19 to win the NL East once more.