Editor's note: At a time when sports are shut down, including the canceled Final Four in Atlanta and many other postponed events, we take a look (in no particular order) at some of the bizarre moments from Georgia sports history.
Atlanta has seen some doozies, but what speedily unraveled at then-SunTrust Park on Oct. 9, 2019 was, for lack of a more succinct term, unimaginable. Even by our standards.
This one didn’t involve Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in NFL history. It didn’t involve Nick Saban, probably the best college football coach in history. It didn’t even involve the Yankees, the greatest … you get it.
Our market has been susceptible to some memorable sports-related shortcomings. Many times, it’s all-time individuals or franchises at the other end. But in this event, it was a beautifully sculpted mess all of Atlanta’s own.
The Braves were hosting the Cardinals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. This team won 97 games — good for second-best record in the NL — and was making its second consecutive postseason appearance. You could certainly argue it was the best Braves team this millennium (especially on offense).
Meanwhile, the 91-win Cardinals seemed to lag behind the Braves on paper. Their offense wasn’t even close to as potent. Their pitching impressed, especially young ace Jack Flaherty, but it wasn’t so much better than the Braves’ group to be considered an upper hand.
Murphy's Law was applicable throughout key parts of the series. The Braves blew Game 1 after reliever Chris Martin was injured while warming up, throwing the bullpen out of whack. They blanked St. Louis in Game 2 behind Mike Foltynewicz's career-best outing. They also won Game 3 — started by Mike Soroka, who controversially pitched only once in the series — in Missouri.
Game 4 was the missed opportunity. The Braves lost an eighth-inning lead. They lost the game in the 10th. Plenty happened in between that made Braves fans' stomachs ache. Among the worst ones: Yadier Molina hitting a ball just vertical of Freddie Freeman's glove. It drove home that tying run in the eighth.
“Yep, I thought it was going in (my glove),” Freeman said at the time. “I just needed to be 6-7.”
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
All that built up to Game 5. Entering the deciding match, the teams were nearly equal, as our Mark Bradley pointed out at the time: The Braves were hitting.235 against the Cardinals' .243. The Braves had slightly outscored the Cardinals, 16-13. Their OPS bested St. Louis', .723 to .714. Each had launched four homers. The Braves had drawn 15 walks and struck out 36 times opposed to the Cardinals' 13 walks and 35 strikeouts.
The Braves are well-versed in postseason flameouts, especially before a home crowd. The team opted against distributing foam tomahawks before the game, as you probably recall, after Ryan Helsley, a member of the Cherokee Nation, expressed his disappointment in the chant.
That storyline was quickly overshadowed. The Braves started Foltynewicz against the Cardinals’ Flaherty. They liked their chances. As Freeman quipped, he thought they had a World Series-worthy team. It was a confident clubhouse all year, and I think they welcomed the chance to close it at home and finally end their postseason series victory drought.
And yet, the game was over before many even reached their seats.
» MORE: How the Braves allowed 10 runs in first inning
If there’s a Braves fan’s hell, it quite possibly looks like this: A Dexter Fowler walk, Kolten Wong bunt, Paul Goldschmidt single, Marcell Ozuna (hello!) single, Molina reaches on an E3, Matt Carpenter walks, Tommy Edman doubles, Paul deJong walks (at least that one was intentional), Flaherty walks, Fowler doubles, Wong doubles, Goldschmidt lines out, Ozuna strikes out — but the wild pitch lets Wong score.
Mercifully, to a round of applause, Molina grounded out to end the first inning. The Braves were down 10-0. I was there, it’s been several months, and I still can’t really believe it.
“I don’t know that I’ve seen that many guys hit in the first inning that quick in my entire life,” manager Brian Snitker said. It’s hard to imagine what went through his mind during that frame. I’d guess there were a few expletives before the carnage became too much to even comprehend.
Credit: Jason Getz
Credit: Jason Getz
“It’s embarrassing, especially on a stage like this for millions of people to see,” said Foltynewicz, who registered just one out — on a sacrifice bunt — in the inning. He was charged with seven runs (six earned). Max Fried relieved him (if that’s how you want to word it), allowing four more runs. It was a sour ending for Fried, who otherwise had a breakout series.
“I would describe (the season) as a fail,” said Freeman, who gutted through five games with multiple bone spurs and loose fragments in his elbow. He would tell you it was the worst series of his life. Fans place some of the blame on him, but there’s enough to go around.
After a while, the wordsmiths and commentariat in the press box couldn’t help but laugh. The Braves wound up losing 13-1. Later that evening, the hump they were trying to get over — you know them as the Dodgers — fell victim to its own postseason mishap and also lost a deciding Game 5 at home.
To the Nationals. The team that the Braves were better than for the entire 162-game season. It completed a horrific day for the Braves. It would get worse: The Nationals swept the Cardinals with ease. They defeated the Astros in a seven-game epic to win the World Series.
I don’t think you could’ve made it much worse for Braves fans if you tried.
Credit: CURTIS COMPTON / AJC
Credit: CURTIS COMPTON / AJC
We'll remember that team. Ronald Acuna became a superstar in his 40-40 pursuit. Ozzie Albies confirmed he's going to be in the All-Star conversation every year. Soroka was an All-Star, and Fried proved he belonged. It was likely Freeman's best season, despite the ending. And the Braves don't usually have players with Josh Donaldson's flair.
But it will also be remembered for what could’ve been. The Braves knew how to defeat the Nationals, and while the postseason is a different game, they surely would’ve been more confident against Washington than Los Angeles. They could’ve at least put their postseason demons behind them by advancing.
None of that happened. It was just another playoff eye-roll for Atlanta.
As bad as Game 5 was, it never should’ve happened. The Braves went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the Game 4 loss in St. Louis, including stranding the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh. Acuna reached base four times but never scored. Freeman had the worst game of his life: 0-for-5 with three punch outs.
That's how sports go sometimes. If only the Falcons had drained more clock after that Julio catch. Or if Georgia had stopped that second-and-26 (though Crimson Tide fans reading this aren't so sympathetic). Or if the Braves had preserved that 2-0 lead in '96.
The 2019 NLDS certainly earned its place on the list. The stakes weren’t quite as high, but it earns extra points for uniqueness. A beautiful disaster in its own way.
