Amid the raucous collection of red uniforms Sunday at Turner Field was a smiling 20-year-old rookie.
Jason Heyward, the “J-Hey Kid,” who had just fashioned a hall-of-fame at-bat that produced a game-winning, two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, was coated in shaving cream, his smile glowing as brightly as the foam.
His older Atlanta Braves teammates acted as joyous as little leaguers. All that was missing was the postgame pizza and ice cream.
“You want to be in that situation to help your team out,” Heyward told reporters after the Braves’ 4-3 win Sunday. “You can’t back down when they need you the most.”
It’s been five years since the Braves were in the playoffs. For most of the 1970s and ’80s that would be a highlight for the franchise. For most of Heyward’s lifetime, it can accurately be described as a drought.