The Atlanta Braves have made the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. They currently have a record of 100-59 and are first in the NL east, two games ahead of the New York Mets, who the Braves just swept in a three-game series this past weekend. 

Despite the departure of Braves All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman, Atlanta has found a way to replace Freeman’s bat and glove. The Braves signed all-star first baseman Matt Olson to an 8-year deal worth $162 million. Olson has played his role stepping up big in the Braves’ most recent series versus the Mets where he homered in all three games.

The Braves’ success also comes from their core of young players that are signed to play for many years for the team. GM Alex Anthopoulos has signed stars Max Fried, Ronald Acuña Jr, Austin Riley, Kyle Wright, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris, Vaughn Grissom, William Contreras and Matt Olson to multi-year contracts and all will be playing for the Braves for at least another three years.

“My favorite player was Freddie Freeman, before he left,” said sophomore environmental science major Sloan Freeman. “But now I think I would have to go with Austin Riley because he’s that good, and I used to play third base back in the days.”

The Braves have dominated the NL East for the last five years. After a terrible couple of years rebuilding, Anthopoulos turned the program around, making them playoff contenders every year just like they were in the 90s and early 2000s.

The city of Atlanta as well as other cities around Georgia, including Milledgeville, are incredibly proud of what the Braves have been doing the last couple of years. 

“I’ve been a Braves fan ever since discovering baseball back in 2010,” said senior and Braves fan Jacob Revell. “Baseball is my favorite sport to watch and with all the games in a season, I watch anywhere from three to five games a week.

The Braves struggled to start the season, but in the end, they came through when it mattered most, and are on the brink of clinching their division once again.

“With all the high expectations this season for the Braves, I feel relieved they made the playoffs,” Revell said. “I had a good feeling we were making the playoffs after our 14-game win streak back in June and the sights have been on winning the division since. Having the chance to clinch the division after being 10.5 games back is an amazing feeling as a Braves fan, especially when it comes at the expense of the Mets.”

The Braves will look to clinch the division with one more win in their final three-game series against the Marlins. If the Braves win one of these last three games, they would be the number two seed in the NL, and they would play the winner of the Wild Card Game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Braves would have home field advantage in that best of five series.