The Braves left behind a reputation as perennial underachievers in seeing off the Houston Astros to win the fourth championship in the club’s 146-year history
At last a shapeless series had a defining image, a clear contour – the awesome arc of a home run smashed out of the ballpark by Jorge Soler that gave the Atlanta Braves their first World Series title since 1995.
This November triumph was primed in midsummer through inspiration born of desperation. Injuries, including to star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr, led Atlanta’s general manager Alex Anthopoulos into the trade market. Judicious signings remodeled the outfield and helped an ordinary team become good. In the playoffs the Braves discovered – perhaps to their own surprise and almost certainly to everyone else’s – that they were great.
