The defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves are back in the playoffs, after winning the National League East title once again this week.
And this was a season for the ages, as the Braves looked like they were done in June, and had no shot of defending their crown.
But a remarkable surge to close the season – coupled with a nice collapse from the New York Mets – helped pave the way for the fifth consecutive division title.
“I’ve been lucky to have been part of a lot of special seasons, and this is by far my favorite,” Braves reliever A.J. Minter said. “I know how hard it is to win and what we did this year is just the most impressive thing we’ve done.”
The Mets had a 10 1/2 game lead in the division at the start of June, but the Braves stayed resilient.
“They’re are all special and they’re all hard,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “This one is right up there, because there was a team that wanted to run away with it. [The players] didn’t get caught up in that we were behind. I told them at one time, ‘It’s not about catching the Mets, it’s about us playing our brand of baseball'”
The Braves will enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the National League, behind the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers. In the new playoff format, the Braves have the first round off, and will face the winner of the series between the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals.
Here’s a look back at 14 of our favorite images from the 2022 Atlanta Braves season.
