2013 year in sports - Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves

2013 year in sports - Atlanta Braves

The 13 moments that defined the Braves' season in 2013, as told by AJC's David O'Brien.

Jan. 24: Three weeks before spring training, and two months after signing free agent outfielder B.J. Upton, the Braves complete a blockbuster trade for his brother, Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton. Braves send fan favorite Martin Prado, pitcher Randall Delgado and three minor leaguers to Arizona in the deal that also brings Chris Johnson to Atlanta to fill the third-base spot Prado would’ve had.

April 3: Evan Gattis, aka “El Oso Blanco,” continues ascent to cult-phenom status in Braves Country when he homers against Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay in his second major league at-bat. The burly rookie was a non-roster invitee who won a spot as a third catcher and ended up playing extensively in left field as the season wore on and the Braves sought to keep Gattis’ bat in the lineup.

April 8: In a 2-0 win against the Marlins, Justin Upton has four hits including his sixth homer in the Braves’ 6-1 start to the season. “You’ve got to try not to get too high on it,” he said afterward.

April 14: Chris Johnson has four hits in a 9-0 win that caps a Braves sweep of the defending NL East champion Nationals and a 6-0 trip, setting tone for season-long success against the Nats. “It was good to make a statement early (and) let them know we’re going to be tough to beat,” shortstop Andrelton Simmons said.

April 23: B.J. and Justin Upton hit back-to-back homers in a 10-2 rout at Colorado in nightcap of a doubleheader sweep that began with the coldest game (23 degrees at first pitch) in Coors Field history. Justin’s homer is his 11th to break the Atlanta record for April. (He finished with 12 for the month.)

May 6: Brian McCann comes off the disabled list after nearly seven months of rehab from shoulder surgery, and the seven-time All-Star collects three homers 10 RBIs in his first six games back.

July 24: Braves pitching-staff leader Tim Hudson sustains season-ending broken ankle and ligament damage in a freak play while covering first base late in a lopsided road win against the Mets. The Braves lose the next day, then start a 14-game winning streak with pitcher Kris Medlen stepping up his game in friend and mentor Hudson’s absence.

Aug. 21: Jason Heyward, after sparking the Braves’ offense for 3-1/2 weeks as an improbable leadoff hitter, gets hit in the face by Mets lefty Jonathon Niese, breaking his jaw in two places. While going 13-13 in the next 26 games without him, Braves average two runs fewer than with Heyward leading off, and their NL best-record margin is diminished.

July 28: Chris Johnson, widely considered to be a throw-in in the Upton trade with Arizona, goes 3-for-4 in the finale of a series sweep against St. Louis on ESPN’s Sunday night game, overtaking Yadier Molina for the NL batting lead at .338. Johnson (.321) eventually was runner-up to Colorado’s Michael Cuddyer (.331).

Aug. 6: Braves and Nationals get into benches-clearing incident in D.C. after Julio Teheran hits Bryce Harper. Tempers flare again when the teams met 10 days later in series at Atlanta, during which Harper is hit twice on Friday and Justin Upton is hit in retaliation during a 15-inning Nationals win Sunday, a game from which Steven Strasburg is ejected after throwing three straight pitches behind Simmons.

Sept. 25: McCann stands in baseline, catcher’s mask atop head, blocking the path of Milwaukee’s Carlos Gomez after Gomez’s preening home-run trot in which Gomez talked trash with pitcher Paul Maholm and the entire Braves infield. When Gomez and McCann go face-to-face, shouting, benches clear and shoving and a few punches ensue. Gomez and Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman are ejected.

Sept. 23: Braves clinch NL East when Nationals lose to Marlins. It’s first division title in eight years for the Braves, who clinch during sixth inning of a win against the Cubs, then celebrate in a cramped Wrigley Field clubhouse. “It’s an amazing feeling. Time flies. You can’t take things for granted,” said McCann, the only Brave on the active roster remaining from ’05.

Oct. 7: Juan Uribe's two-run homer off David Carpenter in Game 4 sent the Braves to elimination in the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and became the moment most remembered by Braves fans in 2013.

Nov. 11-23: In a 13-day span, the Braves announce plans to move from downtown Atlanta to a planned new ballpark in Cobb County in 2017, then lose their most-tenured veteran leaders to free agency. Tim Hudson agrees to a two-year, $23 million deal with San Francisco and McCann agrees to a five-year, $85 million contract with the Yankees.

1/14

Jan. 24: Three weeks before spring training, and two months after signing free agent outfielder B.J. Upton, the Braves complete a blockbuster trade for his brother, Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton. Braves send fan favorite Martin Prado, pitcher Randall Delgado and three minor leaguers to Arizona in the deal that also brings Chris Johnson to Atlanta to fill the third-base spot Prado would’ve had.

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