The Atlanta Braves on Sunday became the first team this season to clinch a playoff berth, after they rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2.
The Braves now turn their focus toward larger aims.
“I wanted to congratulate the guys, but our No. 1 goal coming out of spring training is to win the division,” manager Brian Snitker said.
Photo: John David Mercer-USA TODAY
Matt Olson went 2 for 3 with three RBIs.
“It’s exciting to be a part of this team. It is going to be a fun end of the season,” rookie starter Allan Winans said.
Atlanta leads the second-place Philadelphia Phillies by 15 games in the National League East heading into a four-game series against them. If the Braves win three of the four, they would assure their sixth-straight division title.
“It will be a tough four games in three days,” Snitker said. “Their lineup is every bit as tough as ours.”
By clinching a berth after 142 games, the Braves tied the 1975 Cincinnati Reds for the sixth-fewest games to earn a post-season berth in a 162-game season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The 1998 New York Yankees set the record by clinching a berth after 135 games.
Atlanta (93-49) reached the post-season for the sixth-straight year, the second-longest streak in franchise history. The Braves won 11 straight National League East titles from 1995 to 2005.
Ronald Acuna Jr had a key two-out single to spark the seventh-inning rally and had two RBIs.
With the Braves trailing 2-1 in the seventh and chants of “M-V-P” echoing across Truist Park, Acuna hit a two-run single over Jake Suwinski that short-hopped the center-field wall. Olson followed with a two-run single.
“What Acuna is doing, what Olson is doing,” Winans said. “It’s just incredible.”
Entering the game, the Braves and Pirates had the two longest streaks of games with a home run. The Braves had homered in 20 straight and the Pirates seven, but neither team managed to go deep.
“That’s a big step for our offense,” Snitker said. “We don’t live and die by the home run.”
Elsewhere on Sunday, the Yanked survived the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 after 13 innings, the Tampa Bay Rays bested the Seattle Mariners 6-3, the Houston Astros dominated the San Diego Padres 12-2, the Chicago Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2, the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-2 and the Boston Red Sox overpowered the Baltimore Orioles 7-3.
The Texas Rangers downed the Oakland Athletics 9-4, the Miami Marlins pipped the Phillies 5-4, the Los Angeles Dodgers outplayed the Washington Nationals 7-3, the Reds devastated the St Louis Cardinals 7-1, the San Francisco Giants sank the Colorado Rockies 6-3, the New York Mets blanked the Minnesota Twins 2-0, the Los Angeles Angels edged the Cleveland Guardian 2-1 and the Detroit Tigers tamed the Chicago White Sox 3-2.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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