World Series Delight; Braves destined for Fall Classic

It's been 84 years... okay, not quite, but it sure does feel that way. The Atlanta Braves are World Series bound for the first time since 1999 when they were swept by the New York Yankees. 97 wins in the regular season and 7 more thus far through the postseason, the Braves are now only four wins away from hoisting the World Series trophy for the first time in 29 years.

1995, 29 years ago, the first and only World Series Title in Braves' history. You know the history, specifically game six. Glavine, Justice, Wohlers, Grissom. Skip Caray's "Swung, fly ball deep left center... Grissom on the runnnnn, YES! YES! YES! The Atlanta Braves have given you a CHAMPIONSHIP! Listen to this crowd!" It was the first championship for the city of Atlanta, a feat that remains that way still to this day here in 2024. The Braves have fallen in each of the past three National League Championship Series' prior to this year, two of which came down to a decisive game seven.

But here we are, World Series bound after a battle with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLDS that saw the Braves down to their final out before elimination until Yasmani Grandal was called upon to pinch hit with two outs in the ninth and delivered a game tying, two run home run. Then there was the New York Mets, those pesky New York Mets. Who will ever forget Jose Berrios out dueling Freddy Peralta with the series tied at two games a piece and the Mets holding all of the momentum? The postseason run has been magical so far, full of memories for this Atlanta squad and fanbase. Scoring five runs in the first inning of the NLDS and hearing Truist Park roaring, the 21 inning affair in game 2 that ended in heartbreak, Freeman's monster NLCS series just to name a few.

And isn't it ironic? 24 years since their last World Series appearance, 29 since their last title where they defeated the Cleveland Indians. The fans of FTD have been anticipating a Cleveland/Atlanta rematch for what seems like years now and it will finally happen. No longer the Indians, the Braves will get their first look at the Cleveland Spiders, the top offense in the American League full of sluggers and future Hall of Famers. They're led by Francisco Lindor, one of the most decorated players in all of baseball, but feature plenty more in their arsenal. Ethan Hankins and Jonathan Loaisiga form a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. Nolan Jones eclipsed 40 home runs on the season, while Jose Ramirez, JJ Bleday, Drew Waters and rookie Austin Hendrick all fell just shy. It is eerily similar to the 1995 Indians team which featured young sluggers such as Albert Belle, Jim Thome, and Manny Ramirez.

It will surely be a test for an Atlanta squad that has struggled at times to muster enough offense with the loss of Ozzie Albies from their lineup. Can they slug enough to keep up with the Spiders lineup? Will Mike Soroka bounce back from a lackluster NLCS performance? Can Jose Berrios extend his hot streak since coming over from New York?

Enjoy it, Braves fans, because as we've seen over the past few seasons it is extremely hard to get to this point. A World Series Title has long been in the cards for this group of Braves players, but the same can be said for that Cleveland team. We are sure to get many more memories to go with those from above, let's just hope that our lasting memory for this Braves team is similar to that pictured below.