“Thanks to God for the opportunity to be on this team,” Soler said through a translator.īut even in the Analytics Era, guided by a GM fully versed in new-age ways, the path these Braves took wouldn’t add up in any computer.
MLB THE SHOW 17 TROPHY GUIDE SERIES
Undaunted by Acuña's knee injury, he pulled off a flurry of July trades that brought the Fab Four to an entirely retooled outfield - NL Championship Series MVP Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, Joc Pederson and Soler. Major credit for Atlanta's title goes to Anthopoulos. I mean, it really hurts, but it’s over,” he added. “It’s tough to take now, but this too shall pass. “Yeah, it’s tough, but you know something? You’ve got to keep on trucking, and that gives you even more incentive next year,” Baker said. But for many fans rooting against the Astros in the wake of their 2017 sign-stealing scandal, some satisfaction. He charged us with a responsibility to make these guys better and we weren’t going to let him down.”Īnd note the Braves outhomered the top-scoring team in the majors by 11-2.įor 72-year-old Houston manager Dusty Baker, a disappointment.
![mlb the show 17 trophy guide mlb the show 17 trophy guide](https://a.espncdn.com/photo/2021/0328/mlb_power_rankings_1296x729.jpg)
"That’s just the way it was, we didn’t want to let him down. “Nobody ever wanted to let Hank down," Snitker said. 22 at 86, still pulling for his old team, and The Hammer's legacy was stamped all over this Series. “We lost a lot of pieces over the course of the summer and it was just the next man up."Ĭonsider it a tribute to the greatest Braves player of them all. “They never gave up on themselves,” he said on a postgame victory platform. Steadied by the 66-year-old Snitker, an organization man for four decades, the underdog Braves won the franchise’s fourth title. Not a broken leg sustained by starter Charlie Morton in the World Series opener. Soler tapped his heart twice before beginning his home run trot after connecting off rookie Luis Garcia in the third inning, sending the ball flying completely out of Minute Maid Park and clinching the Series MVP award.īy the end, nothing could stop them. “This is the toughest team I’ve ever been a part of," said shortstop Dansby Swanson, who also homered.
MLB THE SHOW 17 TROPHY GUIDE FULL
When Yuli Gurriel grounded out to end it, Freeman caught the throw at first base, put the ball in his pocket, and the party was on for manager Brian Snitker's club.Ī full hour after the game, hundreds of Braves fans packed behind the team's third base dugout kept doing the chop and chant, causing loud echoes to bounce around the ballpark.Ībout 700 miles away at suburban Truist Park, thousands of fans poured into the Braves' home to holler.Ī mere afterthought in the summer heat among the land of the Giants, White Sox and Dodgers, but magnificent in the Fall Classic. Ailing star Ronald Acuña Jr., the dynamo of Atlanta’s future, bounded from the dugout to join the celebration for Freeman, the longtime face of the franchise. Soler, a July acquisition who tested positive for the coronavirus in the playoffs, backed Fried early with a monster three-run shot for his third homer against the Astros.įreeman hit an RBI double and then punctuated the romp with a solo home run in the seventh that made it 7-0.īy then, it was a total team effort. General manager Alex Anthopoulos, the architect of the Braves' midseason turnaround, missed this crowning achievement after testing positive for COVID-19. Even so, Atlanta's troubles never fully went away.