Playoff Ticket Punched!

In The Immortal Words of Billy Zane: 

It's a walk-off! 

Chipper Jones gets to finish his career the way he and his teams was used to doing-
Going to the playoffs!

One year after a gut wrenching September collapse, that only a Red Sox collapse was able to cover up for the most part the Braves clinched a spot in this year's post season and can at least get the team ready for the one game playoff that comes with the wild card spot and/or make a run to try and catch the Nationals for tops in the NL East, but that is very unlikely. Freddie Freeman's two-run walk-off home run allowed the Braves to win yet another Kris Medlen start while punching their playoff ticket with a 4-3 win over the Marlins at Turner Field on Tuesday night. With Chipper Jones on 3rd Freeeman crushed the Mike Dunn pitch right back dead center right over the 400ft marker in center field.

With the comeback, the Braves won the 22nd consecutive game started by Medlen. As I recently posted the run that the Braves are on when Medlen takes the ball to start a game is just amazing and just goes to show that you need solid combination of luck and skill. Who knows how long the run will last but for now it is pretty amazing.

It’s A Walk Off!!

Not since Zoolander have I seen a walkoff like this! This is not only terrific and cocky because it was done by my Braves but because it was new, it was inspired and it was just plain awesome!! On Tuesday night the Braves center fielder Nate McLouth completed the Braves’ comeback with a walk-off blast in the 10th inning. Maybe he should have listed to his friend Billy Zaine, he’s a cool dude. Winning a game for your team is usually a great thing and a great feeling but this time the cherry on the top of this sundae is the celebration that happened in its wake. As it turned out it was more of a prank, a baseball version of the ding dong ditch and not the head-pounding and back-slapping by teammates. I choose to view it as a cocky move over a rival then a joke on a teammate. In any event it is funny.

Traditionally a team will rush the plate after a blast like that and just pile on the guy when he crossed the plate. No this time! As soon as that ball cleared the wall the Braves dugout emptied down the tunnel like someone pulled the fire alarm, but this was no drill, this was the real thing. McLouth rounded the bases and when he reached the plate he was not greeted by raving teammates or even the catcher, just the home plate umpire. After touching the plate he went directly to the dugout and straight down the tunnel to where there, your of the eyes of the fans and the Phillies celebrated and congratulated him there.

Cocky? YES. Arrogant? YES! Showing up the pitcher and the opposing team? YES! Epic? YES. That is like shaking hands with the team that you just beat in the middle of the diamond and saying "Thanks for coming out" the "How’s you momma? We went out" to the pitcher.
Granted, he or someone else on the team is likely to get dinged in the next game, but let me tell you it is worth it...to execute a move like that is a bold move by both him and the team. Clearly there was a plan in place by the team should such a situation arise so the fact that it was planned makes it even better that they decided to do this. For it to happen to the Phillies is just a double bonus