The Atlanta Braves Win Game 1 of the World Series

The Atlanta Braves win game 1 of the 2021 World Series and move within three wins of capturing a championship.

The Atlanta Braves won a World Series game for the first time since October 21st, 1996.

The game got started with a bang as Jorge Soler hit a leadoff bomb to give the Braves an early lead and the momentum. It was also a history making statement that would set the tone for the game.

The Braves would add on thanks to an Austin Riley RBI double that scored Ozzie Albies to give them a 2-0 lead before Charlie Morton ever threw a pitch.

Morton would escape a bases loaded jam in the first, and the offense would tack on a third run in the 2nd inning courtesy of a fielder’s choice from Soler that brought Travis d’Arnaud home.

Morton would be struck by a grounder of the bat of Yuli Gurriel that had an exit velocity of 102.6. Morton would get the next three outs before leaving the game with what turned out to be a right fibula fracture.

Morton is a tough individual for getting three outs and coming back out for another inning on a broken leg. Unfortunately, the Braves will be without the veteran for the remainder of the World Series, but he will be a major factor in the 2022 season.

Thankfully, the Braves were up 5-0 at this point thanks to a two-run home run from Adam Duvall that scored Eddie Rosario. That postseason home run only cost the Braves Alex Jackson.

A.J. Minter would step in for Morton and throw 2.2 innings allowing only 1 run to the Astros. If the Braves do go on to win the World Series, Minter’s effort in saving the bullpen and pitching efficiently in game 1 will need to be looked at as a key moment in the series.

Luke Jackson would follow with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief of his own, striking out 3 Astros batters. A great bounce back performance from Jackson who struggled in the NLCS against the Dodgers.

The Braves would add on a 6th run in the 8th inning off a sacrifice fly from Freddie Freeman that brought home Dansby Swanson.

In the bottom half of the inning, Matzek allowed a triple to Yordan Alvarez who would score on a sacrifice fly. Matzek was not his typical sharp self, and as Gurriel stepped into the box, it felt like this was the Astros last real chance to make a run in game 1.

Gurriel blasted a ball that was inches from being a home run. It looked to be an easy double, but Eddie Rosario had other plans as he made an amazing throw to nab Gurriel at 2nd base and send the game to the 9th leading 6-2.

The Atlanta Braves traded Pablo Sandoval for Eddie Rosario. That might go down as one of the best trades in franchise history.

Will Smith would enter and shut the door on game 1 to give the Braves an early 1-0 advantage in the World Series.

The Job Isn’t Finished

While getting game 1 was huge, the job is not finished. Getting a win on the road is huge, but now the Braves have a golden opportunity to grab two games in Houston.

Max Fried, an Ace in his own right, will face off with José Urquidy. Urquidy is a fine pitcher, but the Braves have the advantage on the mound with Fried.

Fried was arguably the best pitcher in baseball after the All-Star break, and while he has not been as sharp in the playoffs, I love our chances with Fried on the mound.

After game 2, the series shifts to Atlanta for three games, which will provide a lot of opportunity to put pressure on the Astros in this series.

Losing Morton hurts, especially since the team was already considering a bullpen game in game 4, but they still have Fried and Ian Anderson pitching potentially two games apiece if the series goes 7.

The rest of the staff will need to step up in Morton’s absence. Hopefully, the offense continues to hit and makes it easier on the staff.

This Braves team has dealt with adversity and injuries the entire year, if there is any team capable of overcoming this loss, it is the 2021 Atlanta Braves.

In a season where the Atlanta Braves struggled to reach .500 for an extended, they now only need to play .500 ball to win the World Series.