I had this weird thought the other day: 2026 was someone’s first Braves season. And, I mean, yeah, there’s a possibility that “first Braves season” meant the first time being aware of the Braves as a small child — which is probably fun in the moment, but won’t stick as a “season” in the memory banks. If we set that aside, there’s still someone — probably lots of someones — who followed an MLB season for the first time in 2026, through the lens of the Braves.
And boy, that’s probably kind of a bizarre
place to start. 2026 doesn’t feel like an entry point, and while I know there are psychopaths out there that will start a book series or TV show in the middle (because they’re psychopaths), the 2026 Braves definitely feel like the middle of a narrative arc, rather than a beginning or an ending.
Anyway, back to the question at hand: presumably your first season wasn’t 2026, though maybe it was! What do you remember from that season? What was it about that season that kept you hooked on Braves baseball for the future?
For me, it was 2001, and that was a really narrative-rich season. While the Braves were still in their run of consecutive division titles, that season didn’t start well, with the Braves six games back as early as May 13. But, they went on a run, finishing .500 (despite being 7.5 games back) through May, and then having a blistering June. It was a really exciting race for the division title, too: from June 3 through September 5, the Braves were consistently between three games back and three games up in the division, as well as from September 17-onward (minus a few half-games and such). They only clinched on the final Friday of the regular season.
But, it wasn’t just the slow start and eventual triumph, as there was a lot of player drama. First base that year was a mess (why did the Braves tab Rico Brogna as the starter?) and eventually saw the re-emergence of ageless wonder Julio Franco. Almost no one on the team could hit, save for a monster season from Chipper Jones, a big one from Brian Jordan, and the rookie season of Marcus Giles. (Even Andruw Jones posted a 97 wRC+.) Midseason acquisition Rey Sanchez, a known defensive specialist, made things even worse by putting up a sub-30 wRC+ as a Brave.
Of course, that only works for a successful season if your pitching is up to snuff, and that was indeed the case, but again, it happened in a weird way. Greg Maddux was Greg Maddux, but Tom Glavine and Kevin Millwood did not have good seasons. Instead, John Burkett had a late-career renaissance (and narratively, people would say he saved the season), while Odalis Perez and Jason Marquis each chipped in with above-average pitching in half a season. This was also the season where John Rocker was finally sent packing for two Steves (Karsay and Reed). What a year.
Anyway, I’ll stop rambling and you can share!
