The reigning World Series champs Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Tuesday to capture their fifth straight NL East division title. This capped off a remarkable season turnaround for the Braves after they had struggled in the early part of the campaign.
The Braves entered June 10.5 games behind the leading New York Mets and facing long odds to continue their streak. What followed was an impressive stretch that saw Atlanta win 78 games in the following 111 contests, which was the best outing in the whole MLB. They also got the edge in head-to-head record versus the Mets to claim the tiebreaker for the division title.
With the NL East title in their hands and a 101-60 record to show for, the Braves will embark on a quest to defend their World Series title with a first-round playoff bye.
“It’s hard to win one,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after the Marlins’ game. “To win five is pretty special. It’s a credit to our organization.”
It remains to be seen whether another strong end to the season will translate to playoff success for the Atlanta Braves. The team started the 2021 campaign with a 30-35 record before turning things around and finishing at the top of the NL East with an 88-73 record. They then embarked on an impressive World Series-winning run that saw them needing six or fewer games to eliminate their opponents in each of the three rounds.
