Braves claim another NL East crown

HOUSTON — The Braves are division champs again.

A 4-2 win over the Astros on Sunday at Daikin Park gave the Braves their 19th National League East crown. The team’s 92nd win allowed them to celebrate with one week and six games remaining in the regular season.

It’s the team’s first division title since 2023.

“I told these guys winning the division is really tough. I know it’s the first step, but it takes six months to do it,” Braves first-year manager Walt Weiss said. “It takes everybody, and we used everybody, and virtually everyone that got an opportunity stepped up and helped us win games this year. So, special group in that way. It’s a very close group.

“I told them earlier, I feel like when we faced our biggest challenges this year, that’s when we’ve been at our best if you think about it. All the tough stretches, that’s when we turned it around and we were at our best and I think that’s become part of their identity.”

After winning just 76 games in 2025 and missing the playoffs with a fourth-place finish, these Braves took over first place in the division April 8 and never relinquished the lead. The second-place Phillies got within two games as late as July 18 but could never pull any closer.

“I think you look at this team the last — even before I got here, years before I got here, they’ve always been really successful,” Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale said. “(In 2024) we dealt with a lot of stuff. Last year we dealt with even more stuff with injuries. So it’s like you take a step back in the offseason, you look at what you actually have and you see, like, ‘OK, these guys are healthy and they’re producing, we know what we’re capable of.’ That’s why we’re here now, we never lost confidence.”

The Braves began Sunday four games back of the Dodgers for the No. 2 seed in the NL standings, meaning they’ll likely begin their postseason run Sept. 29 at Truist Park against the No. 6 seed — the Diamondbacks, Phillies, Cubs or Padres.

Atlanta will be looking for its first World Series title since 2021, third since moving to the city in 1966 and fifth in franchise history.

“This is what you’ve been fighting all year for, for these moments, and we all been together on this ride,” said Martín Pérez, who started Sunday’s game. “I think it’s time for us to make a small celebration, but we’re not done yet. We still have a couple more games left, got to finish strong and then turn the page to the next month because it’s gonna be a different game, different level, and we gotta be ready for that.”

It was appropriate that Pérez was on the mound for the division-clinching game.

Signed as a free agent during spring training, the veteran lefty has been a godsend for the Braves (92-64) and once again competed enough to keep his team in a tight game Sunday.

And in the sixth, it was outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, who signed with the Braves as a free agent in the offseason, who delivered the fatal blow to the Phillies in the NL East.

In a 1-0 game, facing left-handed reliever Bryan King (3-6), Michael Harris II drew a leadoff walk. Mauricio Dubón then chopped a double over third base and Ozzie Albies scored Harris with a broken-bat flare into shallow right.

Yastrzemski stepped in and saw four pitches before getting a 1-2 fastball out and over the plate. Yastrzemski sent it 373 feet the other way into right field for a three-run homer — his 12th home run of the season and first this year against a left-handed pitcher.

That proved to be the game-winner.

Astros starter Hunter Brown recorded the first six outs — and eight of his first nine outs — to begin his day, Sunday via strikeout. The Braves, however, got base runners after two walks, two hits and an error as Brown’s pitch count rose to 71 through three innings.

Pérez had matched Brown through three scoreless innings of his own before Jose Altuve golfed an 0-1 change-up 335 feet into the first row of seats in left for a solo homer run. Altuve’s 16th home run of the season would not have been a home run in the other 29 MLB ballparks.

“As soon as I gave up the homer I’m like, ‘That’s all they got. I gotta stop the game here,’” Pérez said.

Brown completed five shutout innings and struck out 10, matching a season high. The hard-throwing righty only allowed three hits, the third of which was an infield single, but threw 98 pitches.

Pérez ran into the trouble in the fifth when nine-hole hitter Brice Matthews put a bunt single down the third base line. A one-out single by Yordan Álvarez and walk to Isaac Paredes loaded the bases and ended Pérez’s afternoon.

Víctor Mederos (5-1) was summoned to face Altuve and got the Astros star to strikeout on three pitches. Yainer Diaz rolled softly to second to end the inning.

AJ Smith-Shawver gave up a single in two scoreless innings and struck out four. Ray Kerr served up a one-out solo homer to Diaz in the eighth before Dylan Dodd came on for the ninth to record his second save of the season.

The Braves emerged from the dugout, shook hands and hugged before donning NL East champions shirts and hats. They then retreated to the dugout to douse themselves in Champagne and beer and puff on victory cigars.