HOUSTON -- Braves manager Walt Weiss has reminded his players that preseason prognosticators weren’t high on their chances this year. So, it was fitting for the underdog Martin Pérez to start the game that clinched Atlanta’s latest division crown.
Pérez was a non-roster invitee who was designated for assignment on April 12. Nobody expected him to be in the position he was on Sunday afternoon, when he helped the Braves clinch the National League East with a 4-2 win over the Astros at Daikin Park.
Yet, there Pérez was after the game, celebrating Atlanta’s seventh division title within the past nine years. His determined effort created an opportunity for another unsung hero, Mike Yastrzemski, to hit the game-winning three-run homer in the sixth.
Yastrzemski homered three times during this 4-2 road trip that enabled Atlanta to spend the regular season’s final six games focused on the postseason. As things currently stand, the Braves will be the NL’s No. 3 seed. It looks like their Wild Card Series opponent will be either the Padres, Cubs or the division-rival Phillies.
Adding to the underdog theme was the great escape act Victor Mederos completed after he relieved Pérez with one out and the bases loaded in the fifth. Mederos struck out Jose Altuve and induced Yainer Diaz’s inning-ending groundout.
Mederos didn’t anticipate being in this situation when he spent nearly all of this season’s first three months at the Triple-A level. The 25-year-old totaled 12 big-league appearances before this season. But the inexperience didn’t show as he has been a key bullpen piece during the season’s second half.
Since divisional play began in 1969, the Braves and Dodgers lead all big league teams with 24 division titles.
Prognosticators were skeptical about the Braves entering Spring Training and even more so when starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Hurston Waldrep and Joey Wentz all sustained injuries in Spring Training.
Atlanta’s starting rotation depth was concerning throughout the season. But the Braves got by with the help of Pérez, who posted a 3.04 ERA in 30 starts (26 appearances), and the Trade Deadline acquisition of Tyler Mahle, who has posted a 1.28 ERA in the eight starts he has made since being acquired from the Giants.
Mahle has certainly surprised many since bringing a 5.13 ERA to Atlanta. Braves president of operations Alex Anthopoulos deserves credit for seeing the upside in Mahle. Anthopoulos also made a key under-the-radar acquisition in November, when he acquired Mauricio Dubón from the Astros.
Dubón’s statistics aren’t jaw-dropping, but he has provided tremendous value with his defensive versatility and clubhouse presence. He doubled ahead of Yastrzemski’s decisive homer in the sixth.
The Braves have plenty of star power with the likes of Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Chris Sale. But the postseason will create opportunities for unexpected stars like AJ Smith-Shawver to shine. Smith-Shawver didn’t fare well as a starter over the past month. But he looked good as his fastball touched 100.5 mph as he recorded four strikeouts over two scoreless innings on Sunday.
As for Weiss, he has made himself a strong NL Manager of the Year candidate during his first year as Atlanta’s skipper. It looks like he was the perfect man for the job even though there wasn’t an overwhelming expectation he would get it.
The Braves tore through the first two months of the season, struggled in June and then delivered when it mattered most over the past few weeks. Not many expected them to win the division. So, now they will attempt to continue proving people wrong in October.