A year after an epic collapse, the Braves offer an epic clinch
A night of deliverance, as delivered by that man Freddie. (AP photo by David Goldman)
They were characterized as choking dogs a year ago and, truth being the ultimate defense, they had no cause to sue for libel. They’d gone 9-18 in September and wasted an 8 1/2-game lead, finally losing the wild card in the 13th inning of the 162nd game. In the bitter days that followed, some among us wondered if this team could ever recover from a collapse so egregious.
Three hundred sixty-three days later, we got our answer. Yes, it could. Yes, it has.
The man who made the final out — the final two outs, having hit into a 3-6-3 double play — of September 2011 hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to put the 2012 Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. “Probably the coolest thing ever,” Freddie Freeman said of his climactic blast to dead center field, and nobody felt moved to dispute the point.
Champagne flew afterward in the Braves’ clubhouse, and if you’re saying, “Champagne for a wild card?” … well, you’re a raging killjoy and you’re hereby dismissed from class. Because we just saw, in this redemptive season and on this clinching night, a team that refused to yield to the doubts and fears spawned by September 2011.
“Last year we were a great team that had a bad month,” said Brian McCann, a beer in his hand and a Postseason 2012 cap on his noggin. “But we kept the core together and we kept believing.”
Said the great Chipper Jones, rarely greater (one huge hit, two runs scored, one driven in) than on the first night of his final homestand: “This is huge. There’s a lot of vindication, a lot of relief.”
Well, yes. As Tom Verducci of SI.com has noted, teams that fall apart so completely at the end of one season tend not to fare well the next year. Of the nine previous authors of collapses Verducci defined as epic , not one made the next year’s playoffs. (And the 2011 Red Sox, the Braves’ partner in fizzle, won’t do it, either.) This one just did, and it did it in grand style.
The setting seemed ripe for clinching. Kris Medlen was starting, and the Braves hadn’t lost a Medlen start since May 23, 2010. The opponent was Miami, which gave up on the season a while back and is now sitting around deciding whom to fire. Give the Marlins credit, though. On this night they looked like a real team.
Nathan Eovaldi, who entered with a 4-12 record and a 4.36 ERA, essentially matched the lately untouchable Medlen, and the rookie second baseman Donovan Solano hit his first career home run to hand the Fish an early lead. Then he hit his second career home run to give them a late lead. And then it was the bottom of the ninth and the Braves entered having had one hit since the third, and then …well, let’s let Frank Wren tell it:
“Chipper came up and got the double, and then Freddie was trying to do his job and get him in [from third, where Jones had advanced on a Mike Dunn wild pitch], and he hit it out.”
On this night of celebration, let’s spare a thought for Wren, the general manager who refused to destroy what he regarded as a good team after its epic collapse. (Contrast this with the Red Sox’s kneejerk behavior, which has resulted in a full season of wretchedness.) As the champagne splashed around him, Wren was asked if he felt vindicated.
“This team is very resilient, very driven,” Wren said. “We saw the culmination of that tonight … This speaks to the quality and character of the guys on this team.”
Translated, that was a proud GM’s way of saying yes. And Wren also said something else: “They’re not done.”
We know these Braves will play beyond the 162nd game. Perhaps it will be for only a day — that infernal play-in looms — but even if it is, just getting beyond the regular season is a major accomplishment for a team that failed in such a major way the last time around.
“These guys have played their hearts out all year long,” Wren said, and in their clinching moment there was on display all the heart and skill anyone could want. After losses, manager Fredi Gonzalez is fond of saying you have to tip your hat to the winning side. Here’s where we, meaning all of us, should tip our hats to Gonzalez and Wren and the team they held together. Here’s we give three cheers for these rather remarkable Braves.
By Mark Bradley
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133 comments Add your comment
PMC
September 26th, 2012
11:01 am
Braves win the Series, Falcons win the Super Bowl, Dawgs win the NC.
Sonny Clusters
September 26th, 2012
11:11 am
morning whiskey, we always felt sorry for that little dog, Russ. The way they painted his a$$ was unforgivable and we are glad to see Russ end up as Uga IX. He seems to be doing a pretty good job, don’t you think? As for the Braves, we was happy to read that they are going to show up and play the rest of the season and try to win the division. We think that is their best chance at winning the pennant though they can still do it if they beat St. Louis (?) in the play-in game. The way things have gone for this organization in must-win games has not been pretty and we hope their luck will change in the play-in. Getting some runners over and in is going to be all-important because we know what happens when they wait for the three run homer. Hope abounds. We are wishing for good things.
BulldogBen
September 26th, 2012
11:31 am
After all your hard work playing 3 and 4 game series’ all year long, WHAT DO WE HAVE FOR THEM DON PARDO……………..WHY, we have 9 innings for them to decide their fate!!!
Way to go MLB. FAIL.
wreckmaniac
September 26th, 2012
11:47 am
Great job ! I,m happy for Freddie and Chip. Chip says he’s happy for the young guys but its got to feel great to him to play through another season with the pain he must have and get to the playoffs. This has to be a thrill for Bobby Cox who was so insistent that Freddie become the Braves mgr.
bulldogbubba
September 26th, 2012
12:09 pm
To Mr.Stinger2 – I am one of those naysayers you write about.I told you I would admit I was wrong if they made it to the playoffs.So there you go.I still say the weak offense is going to keep them from going far and if Chipper can maintain his health and not ride the bench.There are still many factors to the equation for them to win it all. One and Done is not good enough.GO BRAVES
Sudan Eyes - Leading Off: A Year Later, the Braves Celebrate — Leading Off
September 26th, 2012
12:24 pm
[...] with anything like nostalgia. They are reveling in the turnaround most suspected could not happen, writes Mark Bradley in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It was made more poetic because the clinching homer was hit by Freddie Freeman, who made the final [...]
WhoCares?
September 26th, 2012
12:27 pm
Medlen, Hudson, Minor and Maholm give this team a legitimate chance in the playoffs, which traditionally are all about good pitching. Timely hitting and a little dose of luck will be what keeps this team either moving forward or being eliminated in the first round. Honestly, the way they’re playing with a sense of hustle and spirit, I think they’ve got a serious chance to get to the WS.
htownbravesfan
September 26th, 2012
12:41 pm
This has been a great season for a variety of reasons. First, and foremost, is Chipper’s performance in his farewell year. Anyone who thinks he is not a first ballot hall of famer should never be allowed to watch baseball or operate heavy machinery ever again. Second, the way the same team, essentially, came back after last year’s horrid September, and played their guts out to make the playoffs says something about their heart and character, which you can’t hang a number on. Finally, we’ve gotten a great glimpse into the future with Prado, Heyward, Freeman, Kimbrel, Beachy, and Medlen. Let’s just hope our ownership figures out a way to keep this core together. Ten to fifteen years ago, losing a one game playoff would have set me back for weeks, but I’m mature enough now to realize even if we don’t move on from that game or a series afterwards, this team has still been fun to watch, and will be for the foreseeable future. Go Braves!!!!
Red Stick
September 26th, 2012
12:52 pm
I’m glad to see the Braves made the playoffs after the meltdown last September. Playing a one-game playoff is dumb though.
Mark's for the braves
September 26th, 2012
12:52 pm
Great win and congrats to our Braves headed to the playoffs! I hope we face the Cards and put them promptly out of the postseason after what happened last year! Go Braves!
SalleyButcher
September 26th, 2012
1:01 pm
The Braves can possibly win the east division but its gonna take a miracle now to make it happen. It would be fun to watch the braves pull to within 1 game of the Nats just to have them look in their rear view mirror and see the Braves breathing down their necks, with the possibility of the Braves snatching the division crown on the last couple days of the season. Wouldnt it be wonderful if the Braves overtook the Nationals, won their division–then won all thoughout the playoffs and gave Chipper a royal sendoff to retirement going out into retirement as a world champion. I see of no better way for things to play out in Braves Country.
dean
September 26th, 2012
1:17 pm
I’m still hoping for the Braves to be tied with the gnats so there is a 1 game playoff to determine who plays in the 1 game playoff. As a Braves fan it would be nerve-wracking. As a baseball fan it would be Nirvana!
Don VanLandingham
September 26th, 2012
1:47 pm
Vic has no idea what he’s talking about. Instead of playing the blame game he needs to get educated. Had the Braves started Medlin in the rotation at the beginning of the year he would have had to be shut down before now because of the 150 inning limitation caused by “Tommy John” surgery last year. Wren did the smart thing. He started Medlin in the the bull-pin; brought him alone a little at a time and then at the end of July he went into the rotation. GREAT MOVE, FRANK!!!
Don VanLandingham
September 26th, 2012
1:53 pm
That Vic Mackee is a “piece of work”, isn’t he. What baseball knowledge! Doesn’t realize that Medlin has been under an inning restriction because of “Tommy John” surgery. Come-on, Vic, get righteous!
DawgDad
September 26th, 2012
2:08 pm
Not so fast, Mark. In order to qualify for the four team playoff for a trip to the World Series:
. . . last year the Braves face a one-game play-in/elimination in Game 162, and lost.
. . . this year, in all likelihood, they will face a one-game play-in/elimination in Game 163.
I guess that’s cause for celebration. Whether or not it establishes vindication or any significant/noteworthy step forward . . . remains to be seen. If they lose the Wild Card game they are exactly where they were last year and they won’t have an epic aberration to blame.
Vic Mackey
September 26th, 2012
2:09 pm
Despite having 20 straight losing seasons, the Pittsburgh Pirates have an organizational record of 9,958-9,952…which means that they did a hell of a lot of winning prior to that.
The Yankees have an organizational record of 9,856-7,491. That’s almost a whopping 2,400 games over .500.
Our Braves are 10,123-10,091….a measly 31 games over .500….this despite the Milwaukee Braves being 246 games over .500 and the Atlanta Braves being 255 games over .500.
Vic Mackey
September 26th, 2012
2:26 pm
I do not agree with the Nationals shutting down Strasberg. Sure, as a Braves fan, I was happy to see the Nationals cave in and do what the so-called “experts” say to do. However, I feel that the Nationals should have kept Strasberg in the rotation.
Strasberg started 5 games at the end of 2011. He had all winter to build arm strength…to test the elbow. When he started off the 2012 season strong…and continued to mow them down during the year….I feel that his numbers showed that he had recovered. Putting him on some BS 160 innings limit made little sense given his performance.
Same with Medlen. Medlen had pitched twice at the end of the 2011 season. He had the winter to work on building arm strength. I could halfway understand having him start the 2012 year in the bullpen. However when Minor, Delgado and Jurrjens all struggled in April…..I saw no harm in giving Medlen a shot. Instead, the Braves waited until July 31st to belatedly give Medlen a shot.
Let’s say that Medlen started the year in the rotation and was shut down after 160 innings….we would have gotten more production out of him (he’s only pitched in 77 innings as a starter up to this point)….we would have gotten FAR more starts out of him…..would have won MORE GAMES…..would be in 1st place right now, battling for the best record in the National League……instead of hoping that Medlen continues to pitch like Superman in the one game Wild Card play-in game.
I’d rather trade places with the Nationals (who are without Strasberg)…than be the Braves right now (with Medlen). Even if we win the play-in game….we wont have Medlen available to pitch until game 4 (if there is a Game 4). So in essence……the only difference between us and the Nationals…is that we will have Medlen to pitch in one game…while Strasberg wont pitch at all in the Division Series. Our other starters have struggled against the Nationals….have struggled to win in Washington.
Yet we still have to make it to the Division Series. A one game playoff…anything can happen (bad umpiring, an unlucky bounce, an injury, etc.). We wouldnt be throwing ourselves upon the mercy of the “avoid bad luck…hope for good luck” scenario that comes with having to play a one game playoff.
Stinger 2
September 26th, 2012
2:59 pm
bulldogbubba: I read your earlier post. I don`t believe I have ever addressed you personally as being a naysayer. Anyway you always seem to be rational when you make your comments about the Braves. I am concerned about the posts by others who continually say the same negative comments about Fredi, Wren, Chipper, Uggla and a few other players. For that reason, I have used their names in my responses in the past. I have not been able to completely understand their motives in why they use the style of being clever or cute in making fun about above individuals. For this reason, I do not plan to use names in my post anymore unless I am in agreement with them. However, I will continue to post my responses to those I do not agree with.
Joey
September 26th, 2012
3:06 pm
So happy for Braves, and Braves fans. I watched ESPN cycle through late last night just so I could watch the homeplate celebration over and over.
These young guys have come through so brilliantly this season – Freeman, Heyward, Medlen, Minor, Simmons, Kimbrel – and others.
The future looks great. And if we don’t catch the Nats, and therefore get past the “stupid” one-game-playoff, the present looks good too.
It’s hard for me to say, but Go Phillies!
Robert
September 26th, 2012
3:08 pm
The Braves really ARE pretty well situated for a good run this postseason
Cincinnati may be without Aroldis Chapman. The Nats have been pedestrian since shutting down Strasburg (sorry, you dont win championships at this level when you voluntarily dont put your best team out there), and the Giants are good but not great
In the AL, the O’s are a great story but there isnt a team in that league that isnt flawed.
Fredi has done a great job managing this year. Now if he can keep Chipper Jones’ mouth shut for another 5 weeks, this may turn out to be a special postseason
Sonny Clusters
September 26th, 2012
3:16 pm
“I am concerned about posts by others . . .” “I will continue to post my responses . . .” – Quote from our pretend mama
“and the world will be better for this, that one man scorned and covered with scars . . . still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable star!!”
Well, we won’t mention any names either but we don’t need some little busybody stalker correcting our behavior on a baseball blog. We think that little fella takes himself way too seriously because his little diabtribe about how to be a fan would make us be a little fan like him and we sure don’t want to be a nosy, meddling, little pusilanimous recreant like that. Everybody needs a mother but we have one of our own and don’t need a little stalker fella trying to tell us how to behave. Besides, we was state champion and honor roll and we bet he wasn’t either one. Have a nice day.
Sonny Clusters
September 26th, 2012
3:17 pm
We got filtered and it’s a good thing we did. Somebody’s stalking us and we don’t like it very much. Must be a crusader – or a nut job.
Joey
September 26th, 2012
3:21 pm
Good to see you enjoying the win, Stinger 2. Jeez, be happy and stop looking for slights to whomever.
In other news . . . it will take a minor miracle to win the division, but the Nats may choke. They’ve got to be feeling some pressure now.
It’s a shame that we may have the 3rd or 4th best record in MLB, and get eliminated in the idiotic-1-game-playoff. If we get past that, I like our 3-man rotation of Medlen, Minor, and Huddy.
DaltonBrave
September 26th, 2012
3:30 pm
Someone tell Wren to open up his wallet and go after Josh Hamilton next year. Well done, Bravos, keep up the good work.
Stinger 2
September 26th, 2012
3:49 pm
When people get filtered, they have said something either not nice or against the writer`s guidelines. Is right or wrong?
Sonny Clusters
September 26th, 2012
5:03 pm
Apparently they was just checking our spelling. We was honor role so that is not necessery. If we was sanctimonious like that at least we’d want to have some deeper thoughts and be able to express them a little better. Our Sunday school teacher told us once that there are always some little pusillanimous recreants to deal with on a baseball blog and we guess we have met ours with this little stalker fella.
bulldogbubba
September 26th, 2012
5:41 pm
Mr. Sonny Clusters – I know you are a humble Clusters but those fancy words you are using are very impressive. Were ever up for a Rhodes Scholar?Do you use those words around the hunting camp where you go?
Why are these Braves playoff-bound? Credit steady Fredi | Mark Bradley
September 26th, 2012
7:02 pm
[...] before Tuesday’s clinch that was, Fredi Gonzalez was asked about the clinch that wasn’t. How often in September 2012 had he [...]
Vic Mackey
September 26th, 2012
7:05 pm
The Braves need to make the following moves in the off season:
1. Trade Brian McCann in the off season to an American League team that has legit prospects…or a Major League player who would be a good fit for our team. McCann would be more valuable to an AL team where he can DH on days he needs resting from behind the plate. Braves fans may not want to hear this..but Brian McCann is not worth $12 mil a year as a National League catcher. His struggles with injuries have made this painfully clear. Trading him in the off season would ensure the Braves got some value from him..as well as free up $12 mil in 2013 payroll.
2. Resign David Ross (three year/$7 mil contract). If the Braves trade McCann in the off season, Ross would be in a position to start the majority of the games in 2013…..making him deserving of the pay raise.
3. Give Christian Bethancourt a serious look in Spring Training of 2013. He wouldnt have to be counted on to carry a full load. He can share the position with David Ross and learn from a classy professional. If Bethancourt needs a year in Triple A….there are other serviceable options out there who can fill in for a year, sharing the job with Ross.
4. Seriously consider packaging a trade that sends Tommy Hanson and Dan Uggla to a team like the Dodgers (or Red Sox). The Dodgers have a gaping hole at 2nd..and need starting pitching. Uggla is going to cost us $13 mil in each of the next 3 years. Tommy Hanson is in line for a HUGE raise via arbitration (he will cost easily $5 mil in 2013)….even though I feel his best days are behind him (mechanics are terrible, takes 100 pitches to get through 4 2/3 innings, etc.). That said, the Dodgers are under pressure to win in 2013…and making a move like this would give them hope they are shoring up their lineup and starting rotation…while freeing up $18 mil (Uggla’s and Hanson’s combined salary) from our 2013 payroll.
5. Non-tender Jair Jurrjens. No brainer. Saves $5.5 mil (his 2012 salary).
6. Let Michael Bourn walk. I know, he’s our lead-off. However I feel that he’s not going to be worth the over $10 mil a year plus he is surely to command in free agency.
7, Go after both Josh Hamilton in free agency. Sure, Hamilton is a risk due to his past off the field issues. However, dude is a flat out beast on the field. Plugging him into the #3 slot of the order would take a lot of pressure off of Heyward and Freeman. I’d like to see the Braves offer him somewhere along the lines of a 6 year/$140 mil contract ($24 mil a year).
8. Go after Cody Ross to be our left fielder and provide some right handed power. After making only $3 mil in 2012 for a losing Boston team….he will surely be open to leaving and getting paid to play for a winning team. 21 homers and 77 RBIs would look good in our lineup. I’m sure that a contract along the lines of 3 years/$24 mil would put him in a Braves uniform in 2013.
9. Find someone to play 3rd or 2nd base (depending on whether the Braves want Prado to play 2nd or 3rd). Given the trade options…..the Braves should be able to find someone to fill the hole.
10. Let both Eric Hinske and Matt Diaz walk. Both couldnt hit their way out of a paper bag at this point in their careers.
Projected Braves 2013 lineup:
1. Martin Prado (2nd or 3rd)
2. Jason Heyward (RF)
3. Josh Hamilton (CF)
4. Freddie Freeman (1st)
5. Cody Ross (LF)
6. ———(whoever they get to play 2nd or 3rd)
7. Andrelton Simmons (SS)
8. David Ross/Christian Betantcourt (C)
9. Kris Medlen
If the Braves decide to keep Dan Uggla…then pencil him in the #6 slot (making the line-up a foregone conclusion).
Ken Stallings
September 26th, 2012
7:20 pm
Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray!
Three cheers, indeed! And also congrats to you, Mark Bradley, for an exceedingly well written column!
Vic Mackey
September 27th, 2012
7:11 pm
Time to watch Tommy Hanson take 100 pitches to get through 4 2/3rd innings.
Dude has better stuff than Kris Medlen…however Medlen is light years the pitcher than Hanson will ever be.
Vic Mackey
September 27th, 2012
7:38 pm
Freaking Hanson…10 pitches in the 1st…..28 pitches so far in the second.
Like I said….100 pitches through 5 innings…bank on it. He wears out the bullpen.
Heat Check: Braves can’t win the East; Falcons can’t seem to lose | Mark Bradley
October 2nd, 2012
9:47 am
[...] but if the Braves prevail — and Kris Medlen hasn’t lost since May 23, 2010 — they’ll be a tough out. And I say that knowing full well they managed only two hits against Pittsburgh on [...]