Braves Report: Remembering the ’95 title team
Greetings, friends. I bring news.
Starting next week, things will look a little different around here. You’ll still get your daily Braves Report, but most days will be links to the day’s top local and leaguewide stories.
Fridays will serve as our new weekly chat.
And Wednesdays? Well, that’s when we’ll be rolling out a brand new weekly dive into all things Atlanta sports. Like the existing Sports Daily, but bigger and better.
You should be automatically added to that list — with the option to unsubscribe, of course. But why would you want to?
It’s gonna be a blast.
THE WEEKEND SERIES
More Metropolitans, this time at Truist Park. Let’s get it.
📺 How to watch: Tonight’s series opener is a 7:15 p.m. start on Apple TV (sorry, folks). Saturday (7:15 p.m.) and Sunday (1:35 p.m.) are back on FanDuel Sports.
⚾ The pitching matchups: In chronological order …
- Joey Wentz (4-3, 4.72) vs. Nolan McLean (1-0, 0.00)
- Cal Quantrill (4-10, 5.50) vs. Clay Holmes (10-6, 3.64)
- Bryce Elder (5-9, 6.29) vs. David Peterson (8-5, 3.18)
More on Quantrill, a recent Atlanta acquisition, momentarily.
📝 The scouting report: The Mets have quickly gone from leaders of the National League East to barely holding a wild card spot. They’re 5-13 in August and just dropped a series to the lowly Nationals.
What a shame.
WANTED: PRECIOUS MEMORIES
I was 8 years old when the Braves won their first World Series in the ATL.
Baseball was my first love and I was a diehard even then (as a skinny dorky kid with glasses, you best believe Greg Maddux was my hero). That said, my memories of 1995 are more than a little fuzzy around the edges.
I distinctly remember only two things:
- My dad griping over David Justice’s now-infamous comments about Atlanta fans.
- And sitting on the floor watching Marquis Grissom streak toward left-center to catch the final out.
Good times. But why bring this up now?
Tonight’s series opener against the Mets also serves as a 30th anniversary party for that 1995 team. A pregame parade through The Battery steps off at 6 p.m. and promises to feature a few dozen stars — from Justice and Grissom to Fred McGriff and Mark Wohlers.
The first 15,000 folks into Truist Park will get a replica World Series ring, too.
Should be a blast.
📬 But before you go, a request: Please bless my inbox with your own memories of 1995, no matter how big or how small. Warm fuzzies are fun, and maybe I’ll share the best responses next week.
MORE TYLER-BASED CONTEXT
Hate to bring up my age again, but thought this was a fun way to put those ’90s and early 2000s Braves teams in context: I was 3 years old at the start of the 1991 worst-to-first season.
By the time they missed the playoffs again, I was in college.
GET WELL SOON, AUSTIN
Third baseman Austin Riley had surgery to repair his core injury on Thursday and will miss the rest of the season.
After averaging 36 home runs a year from 2021-2023, the 28-year-old has now logged two straight disappointing seasons — thanks in no small part to injuries.
He’ll end 2025 having played just 102 games after playing 110 in 2024.
😬 Translation: Riley will have missed nearly one-third of his team’s games since the start of last season.
CALLING ON CAL
The Braves have won 11 of their last 14 games. It’s been an enjoyable stretch.
But “see what some guys could bring to 2026″ season remains in effect.
Just ask Cal Quantrill.
Atlanta scooped up the former Marlins starter this week and, as mentioned above, slotted him right into the rotation. (This move also bumped Spencer Strider from a weekend start; we should get an explanation later this afternoon, but for now we’ll assume it’s just to help him clear his head a bit.)
Either way, probably wise to temper any expectations for Quantrill.
The son of longtime big league reliever Paul Quantrill, he’s put up a 5.50 ERA in 24 starts. He generally maxes out around five innings and has surrendered exactly seven runs in two of his last three appearances.
↔️ More roster moves: Outfielder Jake Fraley, the Braves’ other new reclamation project, officially joined the club. Infielder and occasional pitcher Luke Williams hit the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Nice to see these celebrations on the regular again, eh? This season’s been a rocky one for Iglesias, but he hasn’t allowed a run since July 26.
That’s 13 straight scoreless appearances.
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the AJC’s Sports Daily newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.
About the Author
Before taking over the AJC's Sports Daily newsletter, Tyler Estep spent two years writing the A.M. ATL newsletter. A Gwinnett County native and University of Georgia graduate, he has been with the AJC since 2015 and previously worked as a reporter on the breaking news, hyperlocal and local government teams.
