(Updated: 4 p.m.)
First place didn’t appear to make the Braves dizzy Friday in New York.
The day after moving to the top of the National League East with consecutive wins over the New York Mets, the Braves completed a three-game sweep with an 11-0 body slam of their division rivals.
They have won five consecutive by the composite score of 35-4, give or take a major organ.
This is when every fan in Atlanta tries not to hyperventilate. This is when you wonder even if general manager Alex Anthopoulos -- who said he was "tempering" his emotions the other day -- is struggling to stay calm.
It’s a 162-game season. There are 132 games left. Damn you, math.
However ...
As I wrote in an earlier version of this blog, odds heavily favored the Braves making it to the postseason when the team wins at least 18 of its first 30 games (.600 winning percentage), based on franchise history.
Late Thursday night, I went through past Braves’ seasons, dating to the team’s move to Atlanta in 1966. This research took place while I was watching Olinsky get shivved in prison on “Chicago PD” because he was dumb enough to take the fall for Hank -- you don’t want to know -- and nobody on the show seemed to care that Ozzie Albies already has 22 extra-base hits. (Their mood was definitely more: White Sox.)
Where was I?
Oh yes: The Braves are in first place.
Assuming I counted correctly, this is the 16th time in the franchise’s Atlanta history that it has won at least 18 of the first 30 games. Of the previous 15 times, the Braves won a National League West/East Division 10 times and made the postseason as a wild card once.
Because there was no postseason in 1994 (when the team started 19-11) let’s throw that season out. So they’ve actually made the playoffs 11 of 14 times when they’ve won at least 18 games. They’ve made the playoffs eight of times when they’ve started 19-11.
Below is the year-by-year accounting. Obviously, this offers no guarantee the Braves will be in playoff position come September. But history tells us they’re hitting 8-for-10 (.800) when winning 19-plus games.
(Asterisks by playoff seasons.)
Year 30 games Final record (place)
1969* 21-9 93-69 (First)
1970 18-12 76-86 (Fifth)
1982* 20-10 89-73 (First)
1983 20-10 88-74 (Second)
1994 19-11 68-46 (Second, no postseason)
1995* 18-12 90-54 (First)
1997* 22-8 101-61 (First)
1998* 20-10 106-56 (First)
1999* 20-10 103-59 (First)
2000* 21-9 95-67 (First)
2003* 19-11 101-61 (First)
2005* 19-11 90-72 (First)
2007 19-11 84-78 (Third)
2012* 18-12 94-88 (Second/wild-card)
2013* 18-12 96-66 (First)
Totals: 15 seasons, one postseason canceled, 10 division titles, one wild card berth, playoffs missed three times.
Listen to the, "We Never Played The Game" podcast. Check out the podcast show page at AJC.com/sports-we-never-played-the-game. Subscribe on iTunes or, Google play, Stitcher, TuneIn, or listen from the AJC sports podcasts page or the WSB Radio on-demand page.
