This day in Braves history: Atlanta dominates Houston to clinch World Series

2. They Beat the Best

After fighting their way into the playoffs, the Atlanta Braves had to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Houston Astros to be the last team standing. Atlanta had a recent history of getting eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers but 2021 was the year they got over the hump. 

Beating the defending World Series champions and the juggernaut Houston Astros is no easy task and shows just how incredible the Braves' late-season run was. No one can make the argument that the 2021 Braves team had a cakewalk in the playoffs. 

The Braves pitching staff made significant impacts in the postseason and it took a lot of tenacity from them to overcome the tough task of taking down both the Dodgers and Astros.

3. All Hands on Deck

The biggest blow the Braves faced during the 2021 season, as mentioned earlier, was losing Ronald Acuna Jr. to an ACL tear. This weakened the lineup significantly and left holes in the outfield. Alex Anthopoluos jumped to the rescue. 

The acquisitions of Adam Duvall, Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, and Jorge Soler could not have been a better decision. AA absolutely earned his paycheck in 2021.

Throughout the playoffs, it was someone different in each series that stepped up. In the NLDS, Joc Pederson had multiple clutch homers. The NLCS, Eddie Rosario sent the Atlanta faithful into a frenzy after what proved to be a series-winning 3-run homer. In the World Series, Jorge Soler took home the MVP after mashing two massive home runs. 

Couple that performance with timely pitching and you get a World Series title. This team had something incredibly special about them and they just found ways to win games. This adds some emphasis to the championship knowing that efforts to turn the team around did not go to waste.