Brian McCann is headed back to Atlanta, so let's relive his best moments with the Braves
Brian McCann found a new home on Monday, and it's the same as his old home: The catcher signed a one-year deal to bring him back to the Braves, the team he grew up cheering for in suburban Atlanta and the team with which he spent the first 12 years of his pro baseball career.
So while it might not be the Braves' biggest free-agent splash of the day, it's still worth celebrating -- which is why we're counting down his five best moments in an Atlanta uniform. But first, we need to set the mood:
Much better.
Game 2, 2005 NLDS
The 2005 campaign also marked the Braves' 14th consecutive trip to the postseason. Their opponent? A loaded Houston Astros squad, complete with NL ERA king Roger Clemens. How would their rookie backstop handle the bright lights of October? By becoming the first player in franchise history to go yard in his first postseason at-bat:
The 2010 All-Star Game
McCann had already been to the Midsummer Classic four times, but he'd gone hitless in just three plate appearances. In 2010, though, he finally got the monkey off his back -- with the biggest swing of the night:
Those three runs provided the margin of victory for the NL and earned McCann MVP honors.
Some replay review history
Just a few weeks later, McCann was back with some more dramatics. With the Braves and Marlins tied with two outs in the ninth, he drilled a double to right. Or, it was initially a double, until it was ruled a home run on replay review -- the first time replay had ever granted a walk-off dinger:
The best game of his career
McCann didn't start Atlanta's game against the Astros on May 17, 2011, but he absolutely finished it. First, manager Fredi Gonzalez called on the lefty to pinch-hit with the Braves trailing, 1-0, with two outs in the ninth. McCann responded with a game-tying dinger:
The game went on ... until McCann got his second at-bat in the 11th, when he promptly sent everybody home:
This fantastic commercial with David Ross
Come for McCann's excellent line reading, stay for clean-shaven David Ross:
