The Braves have had an extraordinary regular season with a record of 88-73. On July 10, in their game against Miami, Ronald Acuna Jr. (left field) was trying to field a ball hit off the bat of Jazz Chisholm and unfortunately tore his ACL. The Braves and the rest of the community were doubtful for the rest of the season, as Acuna is one of their best all-around players. Nevertheless, they continued their season and had some shocking wins and losses. When they played the Phillies earlier in the season, there was a controversial play at home plate that changed the game’s outcome. At the top of the ninth inning, it was a tie ball game, 6-6. Shortstop Didi Gregorious (of the Phillies) hit a routine fly-ball to left field, while Alec Bohm (Third-baseman) was on third. The Phillies’ third base coach signaled for Bohm to run home; however, this was risky. Ozuna’s throw to home plate gave Bohm a narrow space to tag home, and everyone believed that he was out. However, the home base umpire called him safe, giving the Phillies a one-point lead. Later in the season, when the Braves faced the Phillies again, they swept them in the three-game series. This earned the Braves the title of NL East champions and ensured the start of their postseason.
In the first round of playoffs, the Braves took on the Milwaukee Brewers. Atlanta fell short in the first of a five-game series, but they were not discouraged. They won the second game, and in the third game, all-star Joc Pederson hit a three-run home run, earning a win for the Braves in Atlanta. With the Braves leading 3-0 by the top of the eighth inning of the third game, the Braves needed a monumental play to stop the Brewer’s threat. Orlando Arcia of the Brewers hit a line drive to second base. Dansby Swanson fielded the ground ball, quickly stepped on second, and threw a bullet to Freddie Freeman at first base, turning a double play. This crucial play ended the inning and restored morale as the Braves were now up to bat. This at-bat was not as full of excitement as it was hoped to be. The Braves scored no runs this inning, and all they had to do was stop the Brewers from scoring in the bottom of the ninth. Will Smith was pitching for the Braves during this last, pivotal inning. He only allowed one hit; however, he walked Christian Yelich. The outs were thanks to the infielders as they grounded ground balls, quickly ending the inning. The Braves held the Brewers and, therefore, now lead the series 2-1. With the Braves dominating the series, game four was important. If the Braves won, the Brewer’s postseason was over. However, if the Brewers won, they would go on to play game five. The Brewer’s pitching staff fell short, as Josh Harder of the Brewers gave up a center field home run to Freddie Freeman. The end score of the fourth and final game of this series was 5-4, sending the Braves onto the next round to play the Dodgers.

The Wildcard Game is a way for one more team that did not win their division title to make it to the playoffs. The two teams lucky enough to participate in this game were the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. As the Dodgers are the previous World Series champions, the Braves have to consider that there is a possibility that they could go head to head. The Dodgers need to play the Giants to secure a position in the next round. Based on the outcome of this game, the Braves need to start preparing to play and win against more challenging teams if they want to win.
This is the second year in a row that the Braves have made it this far in bracket play. How far they will go is questionable as the teams progressively get better and better. Dr. Ice is a teacher here at Wheeler who takes her Braves very seriously. When asked what her playoff predictions for the Braves are, she responded, “Braves gonna win.” After Freddie Freeman and Joc Pederson home runs in the past games, the MVP talk has been floating around. Freddy Hartzell (12), a pitcher and first baseman for the Wheeler baseball team, thinks the MVP of the playoffs will be, “Kris Bryant of the Giants.” Regular season games have been out of the ordinary this year, with different outcomes. Some teams are in their postseason, and this has some people shocked. Emily Jansen (9), a pitcher for the Softball team here at Wheeler, said that “The Red Sox [being in the playoffs surprised her the most], for beating the Yankees in the wild card game and winning the series against Tampa Bay.” All in all, the Braves have worked hard to get to the spot they are now. They need all of their fans cheering them on now more than ever. On Saturday, October 16, the Braves beat the Dodgers 3-2 with Austin Riley hitting an RBI single, sending Ozzie Albies home and winning the game. On Sunday, the Braves won yet again against the Dodgers 5-4. The Braves now lead the series 2-0.