The Atlanta Braves have won the 2021 World Series against the Houston Astros in a game 6 shutout. This is only the fourth championship for the Braves, who won last in 1995 against the Cleveland Indians.
The Braves faced a long and hard postseason path this year; first battling it out with the Milwaukee Braves in the NLDS (which the Braves won 3-1) and then in the NLCS against the Dodgers, who were heavy favorites because of their extraordinary 106 wins in the regular season. The Braves, with their measly 88 wins in comparison, won that series 4-2.
The Braves were definitely the underdogs in this match-up against the Astros, who in the last five years have made the playoffs and have gone to the World Series three times. This series was a perfect example of the unpredictability of baseball, with the world champions being a team who in July, had only a 0.3% chance of winning the World Series.
This was a very competitive series which saw many twists and turns, starting with the Astros winning game 1. However the Braves went on to win three in a row, leading 3-1. In game 5 we saw a first-inning grand slam by Braves’ Adam Duvall, giving them a 4-0 lead, only for the Astros to claw their way back, winning 9-5 and forcing a game 6. Finally, the series drew to a close with a 7-0 shutout for the Braves’ 4th championship win.
More than 14,000 fans celebrated back home at Truist Park as they watched the Braves win it all in enemy territory. The celebration continued at the parade and ceremony on Friday November 5th, which featured speeches from many coaches and players. Holding the championship trophy, Dansby Swanson, Braves’ shortstop and Georgia native, told the crowd, “I’ve been waiting 26 years for this...This is ours, Atlanta. This is everybody’s.”
Jorge Soler, Braves outfielder, won the MVP award because of his 3-run homer in the third to give the Braves the lead in game 6. “He’s been swinging the bat so good… This whole World Series,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Even just the walks he was taking were really big.” Soler, who started off the season with the Kansas City Royals, is just the third World Series MVP to have played on a different team in the same season.
First baseman Freddie Freeman, who has been with the Braves since his MLB debut in 2010 and faces free agency this postseason, celebrated his first ever World Series win. Laughing and smiling in true Freddie Freeman fashion, he told Ken Rosenthal, “This is it. This is everything you work for. We’ve had so many ups and downs this year, and for us to be World Champions… That is awesome to hear!”