The MLB season is over, and the Atlanta Braves have taken the 2021 World Series Championship. They defeated powerhouse Houston Astros in six games to claim the title.
The MLB postseason had a lot more to offer than just the World Series, though. A handful of wild card games and divisional thrillers packed the playoffs with some must-see games.
In the American League Wild Card game, the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees 6–2. Key play from Xander Bogaerts, Kyle Schwarber, and Nathan Eovaldi contributed to the Sox’s playoff entry.
For the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers secured yet another year in the playoffs with a 3–1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Chris Taylor hit a two-run home run to propel the Dodgers to a walk-off victory.
Boston then faced their AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays. Christian Vázquez hit a walk-off home run in Game 3, and Kiké Hernandez hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in Game 4 to bring the Red Sox to clinch the series in four games.
In the NL West final, the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants in five nail-biting games to advance to the NL Championship Series. Cody Bellinger, who struggled in the regular season for LA, came up with the game-winning hit to advance the Dodgers further into the postseason.
In four games, the Astros started their journey to the World Series with a dominating AL West series win over the Chicago White Sox. Boston looked like the dominant team up 2–1 in the series, but the Astros struck back, winning the next three games ending the series at Fenway.
The Braves made their way to the World Series beating the Brewers in four games. Then, in the NL Conference Championship, the Braves posted two walk-off wins at home ending the Dodgers playoff hopes.
The World Series spanned six games. The Braves took Game 1 with a score of 6–2. Jorge Soler had a home run and two RBIs to lead the team. Pitcher Charlie Morton threw 16 pitches on a broken leg but still recorded three strikeouts and only conceded one hit.
The Astros battled back in Game 2, though, winning 7–2. Jose Altuve had a home run, and RBI and Jose Urquidy posted seven strikeouts.
Both Game 3 and 4 were tight. The Braves won by a narrow margin of 2–0 with excellent pitching. Atlanta took Game 4 3–2, only need one more win. The Astros weren’t done yet. Dominating Game 5, 9–5. Martin Maldonado, Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa combined for six RBIs to keep Houston in the series.
However, the Braves were determined to end the series their way, and they did just that. A stunning 7–0 victory secured Atlanta’s World Series trophy. For the first time in 26 years, the Braves took home the championship, pleasing fans of the team and making history.
The MLB season has come to a close. Spring Training is around the corner and moves will be made. Will the Braves still be atop or is there another threat incoming?
Sources: BleacherReport, CBS Boston, ESPN, True Blue LA