When Raisel Iglesias struck out Austin Barnes, the sellout crowd at Truist Park breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The Braves finally got the best of the Dodgers. It took everything they had to protect a 4-0 lead, deploying their best relievers, making several impressive defensive snags and ultimately leaving the potential tying run stranded at third after Iglesias fanned consecutive hitters.
After five straight head-to-head losses, the Braves defeated the Dodgers in their last meeting of the regular season Sunday.
“It’s big when you win a game like that; it’s like, ‘You know, we’re pretty good, too,'” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I think our whole club can take something away from that. We didn’t win the series, but this was a big win for us.”
Remember, the Braves were commonly deemed the greatest threat to the reigning champs entering the season, from analysts’ opinions to the betting markets to simply examining the on-paper rosters. If there were a spring-training superlative for “Most likely NL club to upend the Dodgers’ pricey super team,” the Braves seemed to be it.