Chalk up another disappointment for America’s (Regular-Season) Team.
Yes, the Atlanta Braves went down fighting in Thursday night’s 7-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the opening game of their best-of-five National League Division Series at SunTrust Park.
And everything you’ve loathed and loved about these Bravos all season was on display in that horrific, (almost) terrific ninth inning.
The bullpen once more collapsed, giving up four runs in the top of the inning. Then the Braves’ bats, arguably as lethal as any in baseball this season, almost pulled off a historic comeback, swiftly getting back three of those runs on two homers – a two-run blast by Ronald Acuña Jr. and a solo shot off the recently docile bat of Freddie Freeman.
The problem is, as TBS analyst Ron Darling pointed out, no team has ever come from four down in the ninth to win a playoff game, and the Braves weren’t stout enough to become the first.