The Braves and the NLDS Curse.

A Thread:

As the calendar turns to October, we get ready for another Braves NLDS.

18 years. 18 years of first round failure.

I’m making this thread to inform & allow us to move on & look forward. It’s something that has plagued my life for a long time, shaping my mindset.

Let’s begin.

2002. The start.

Nothing really crazy about this series, other than it kicked off the NLDS curse. Braves failed to win Game 1, but quickly struck back and went up 2-1 after Game 3. Sadly, Barry Bonds and Rich Arillia would make sure we wouldn’t survive, and we lost in 5.

2003. Two curses meet. (1/2)

The Braves went into the 2003 NLDS with titanic expectations after winning 101 games in the regular season, and their 12th straight division title. A powerhouse offense led by Gary Sheffield was ready to polish away the NL Central Champion Cubs....

2003. Two curses meet. (2/2)

However, the upstart Cubs, featuring one of the most dynamic duos in recent memory with Mark Prior and Kerry Wood had other ideas. They would push the Braves to 5 games, and clinch their first playoff series win since 1908.

2004. The Killer Bs.

Biggio. Bagwell. Berkman. Beltrán. Not to mention Clemens and Oswalt too (Pettitte was injured). It was a back and forth series that featured a walkoff from Furcal and a nail biter in Game 4. Ultimately though, Braves lost in 5. At home. Again.

2005. The 18 inning nightmare. (1/2)

This season saw the birth of the “Baby Braves” with McCann and Francoeur. B-Mac even went deep off Clemens in Game 2. The youthful, upstart Braves looked to snap their NLDS skid by taking down the trio of Clemens, Pettitte, and Oswalt...

2005. The 18 inning nightmare. (2/2)

Sadly, the Braves would head to HOU tied, but not return. A dominant performance by Huddy had them thinking of a Game 5. They were up 5 with 5 outs left, but Berkman and Ausmus would erase that, and Chris Burke would deliver the dagger in 18.

2010. Brooks Conrad. (1/6)

One of the most fun Braves teams in recent memory. Our first Wild Card season. An old Chipper, a revival from Troy Glaus, and Billy Wagner’s twilight season had us in a romantic trance as we hoped Bobby Cox would be sent out a winner.

2010. Brooks Conrad. (2/6)

The Braves clinched in Game 162, but late season injuries to Chipper and Prado thinned out the roster, and made us weak for our NLDS matchup with SF. Still, we battled. Posey was out in Game 1, but Ankiel hit it out (and into the Bay) in Game 2.

2010. Brooks Conrad. (3/6)

The Braves headed home, confident. Huddy pitched a gem in Game 3, and Eric Hinske hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the 8th to give the Braves a 2-1 lead. The Ted shook. I cried.

I thought that was it. The moment.

2010. Brooks Conrad. (4/6)

ATL looked poised to go up 2-1 in the series...but those injuries to Chipper and Prado would catch up to them. Brooks Conrad (replacing Prado) was a journeyman who became a folk hero to Braves Country in 2010, but he would ultimately become a goat.

2010 Brooks Conrad. (5/6)

In the 9th inning, after newbie Craig Kimbrel (filling in for an injured Wagner) couldn’t secure the last out, SF rallied & Conrad committed a costly (third) error of the game that gave the Giants a 3-2 lead.

The energy from moments ago was gone.

2010. Brooks Conrad. (6/6)

The Giants closed out Game 3 to take a sudden 2-1 lead.

We shouldn’t have even bothered with Game 4. McCann gave us a ray of hope, but the Giants were too much, and they went on to close us out in 4.

Bobby’s final game.

2012. The infield fly. (1/4)

You know what’s coming.

Following the collapse of 2011, where ATL blew a double digit standings lead in a month, they climbed back into October with a dramatic win against Miami in the form of a walkoff home run from a kid named Freddie Freeman.

2012. The infield fly. (2/4)

We were headed to the first ever Wild Card Game. An invention that as soon as it was announced, you knew we’d be in it.

Our opponent? The Devil Magic-fueled St. Louis Cardinals.

I was there.

2012. The Infield Fly. (3/4)

We had Kris Medlen going. Posting one of the best 2nd half ERAs in history. David Ross got us out to an early lead. It was party time. But a costly error on a routine double play was the beginning of the end.

2012. The infield fly. (4/4)

The Braves did manage to start a late rally. Then, the ump show began. A popup to LF was ruled an infield fly, and everything boiled over. The fans had enough. Garbage was thrown, the game was delayed, and, ultimately, we lost.

Chipper’s last game.

2013. Kimbrel in the pen. (1/3)

A powerhouse season. Freeman, Upton, Johnson. Our first division title since 2005. Things looked good...until we botched our chance for the #1 seed, and pitted ourselves against the Dodgers in the NLDS.

2013. Kimbrel in the pen. (2/3)

We now had to face the likes of Kershaw, González, Puig, and Ramirez.

Immediately, it was the same old story. Dominated by power pitching, and sunk by unlikely heroes (this time, Carl Crawford).

2013. Kimbrel in the pen.
(3/3)

ATL got the series to 4 thanks to a Game 2 win, & went with Freddy “Just make pitch” García to face Kershaw in Game 4. He pretty much won, but we were only up 1, & thanks to a refusal to use Kimbrel after a double from Puig, Juan Uribe killed us.

2018. Rebirth. (1/3)

Up to this point, it’s been all negativity. But there hasn’t been much to take from those past failures.

2018, however, was different. The Braves stunned the baseball world and claimed the NL East with ease.

2018. Rebirth. (2/3)

The Braves went through a lot to get to that point. They blew up the Upton team, went through a rebuild, built a new stadium, & were mired in scandal.

But the pieces had been laid, and a Greek Canadian came and pivoted the organization towards analytics.

2018. Rebirth. (3/3)

The Braves were (and are currently) led by a seasoned Freddie Freeman and new-age, Gen-Z superstars like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozhaino Albies.

Sure, we knew we’re gonna get smoked by LA, but we didn’t care. We knew this was the beginning of something big.

2019. Bringin’ the Rain. (1/3)

So here we are again thanks to a 2nd NL East title in as many years. We started slow, but heated up & never looked back.

Our opponent? St. Louis.

Playoff Futility vs. Devil Magic.

I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know one thing...

2019. Bringin’ the Rain. (2/3)

This year we’re better. We’re more powerful. We’re more confident. And we’re a little bit cocky.

I know. It’s the playoffs. They’re the Cardinals. And we’re the Braves. Anything can happen.

But I’ll leave you with one last post.

2019. Bringin’ the Rain. (3/3)

Too long have we sat scared, praying for better matchups, & perfect seeding. Terrified of the opponent.

Let’s put an end to that.

Let’s walk into Thursday ready to win.

Let’s go kick that motherfucking door in.

2019. Humiliation. (1/2)

No other way to put it. Possibly the worst exit we’ve had. And we’ve had some bad ones. After going ahead 2-1 on a thrilling Game 3 win, the Braves were mocked by Yadier Molina in his walkoff celebration when the Cardinals evened the series at 2.

2019. Humiliation (2/2)

Game 5 was forced, and it was over before it began. Mike Foltynewicz and Max Fried coupled to allow 10 runs in the 1st & the Braves went on to drop the NLDS. They were laughed at postgame & ridiculed by STL and Mike Shildt.

2020. The Coronavirus and Baseball. (1/3)

The 2020 season was mostly scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After months of bickering, the owners and players finally formed a 60-game Frankenstein’s monster of a season with no fans and wacky rules.

2020. The Coronavirus and Baseball. (2/3)

This didn’t stop the Braves though who, despite losing Mike Soroka for the year & having little SP, slugged their way to a 3rd straight NL East crown thanks to Freddie Freeman, Adam Duvall, and newly acquired Marcell Ozuna.

2020. The Coronavirus and Baseball. (3/3)

Now the Braves are back in Oct. with a new round added, the Wild Card Series. In this best of 3, ATL is lined up against a daunting Cin. Reds rotation, with the possibility of 2 whole decades of no advancement staring them in the face.