Atlanta Braves and the great 1993 division race

Yankee fans are lamenting the fact that their team did so well this year, yet they could be ‘one and done’ thanks to a Wild Card game.  Giant fans would like to have a word.

It was the wildest, most epic playoff race of my lifetime – 25 years ago this month.  The Atlanta Braves came from way behind – ending with a stretch run that was nearly matched game for game.  Let’s revisit this battle that took place across the country between the best teams in baseball from 1993.

It was 1993.  The Atlanta Braves had just missed on the World Series in 1991 and fallen to Bobby Cox‘s old team – the Blue Jays in 1992.

Now Cox and the Braves were trying to get back there again but just prior the All-Star break, they were floundering a bit… if you consider 10 games over .500 to be ‘floundering’.

On July 10th, the Braves finished the traditional first half at 49-39 thanks to a loss to one of the new kids on the block – the Florida Marlins.

This loss left them 9 full games behind the San Francisco Giants in the Western Division of the National League… yeah – the Western division.  That’s where the Braves were in those years as a geographically challenged league (and a balanced schedule) had them traveling all over the country.