The 75-48 Atlanta Braves are four games behind the New York Mets in the race for the NL East title.
That should be viewed as a resounding victory, because the gap between the two squads was once well in the double digits, and that wasn’t long ago.
With excellent pitching, timely hitting, and an injection of youth, the Braves made history while taking down the Mets and another elite team, the Houston Astros, in consecutive series.
“The #Braves took 3 of 4 from the Mets and 2 of 3 from the Astros on the club’s most recent homestand, marking the first time in franchise history the team won consecutive series from different teams that were at least 30 games over .500 at the time,” the Braves tweeted.
The #Braves took 3 of 4 from the Mets and 2 of 3 from the Astros on the club’s most recent homestand, marking the first time in franchise history the team won consecutive series from different teams that were at least 30 games over .500 at the time.
(H/T @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/GceshMqYp0
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 22, 2022
The Braves Are Legit, And The League Knows It
New York is, before Monday’s games, 35 games over .500; while the Astros are 33 games over that mark.
The Braves navigated them like they were mediocre teams, and they are far from it.
More than a critic towards the Mets and Astros, the results in the last few days speak more about the Braves’ obvious talent and status as a World Series contender.
They aren’t mentioned in that first tier alongside the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets, the Astros, and the New York Yankees often, but the Braves clearly belong there and could compete with all of those teams.
We are talking about the reigning World Series champs, a team that was capable of eliminating the Dodgers over a postseason series last year.
Both squads remain elite, so who’s to say they can’t run it back?
Beware of Atlanta, as it is a legitimate candidate to win it all again.
