Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud hugs pitcher Will Smith aft winning Game 6 of baseball’s National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, successful Atlanta. The Braves defeated the Dodgers 4-2 to triumph the series. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
ATLANTA (AP) — Eddie Rosario capped a singular NL Championship Series with a three-run homer, sending the Atlanta Braves to the World Series for the archetypal clip since 1999 with a 4-2 triumph implicit the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers connected Saturday night.
The Braves won the best-of-seven bid 4 games to two, exorcising the demons of past year’s NLCS — erstwhile Atlanta squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads against the Dodgers — and advancing to look the AL champion Astros.
Game 1 is Tuesday nighttime astatine Minute Maid Park successful Houston.
The Braves volition beryllium going for their archetypal Series rubric since 1995, erstwhile they bushed Cleveland with a squad that included Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Chipper Jones — a no-nonsense radical that became amended known for galore postseason flops during a momentous tally of 14 consecutive part titles.
This flashy squad is led by a acold much improbable hero.
Rosario, acquired successful a flurry of deals conscionable earlier the July 30 commercialized deadline that rebuilt the Braves’ depleted outfield, acceptable an Atlanta franchise grounds and became lone the 5th subordinate successful shot past to grounds 14 hits successful a postseason series. He was an casual prime arsenic MVP of the series.
“Since I was a small kid, I’ve dreamed of this moment,” Rosario said done an interpreter. “Look astatine maine now.”
Will Smith worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 4th prevention of the postseason aft a superb alleviation stint by victor Tyler Matzek, who escaped a immense jam successful the seventh by striking retired the side. The left-hander has 11 strikeouts with runners successful scoring presumption successful the seventh inning oregon aboriginal this postseason.
“I was retired of shot successful 2017,” Matzek said. “Now I’m successful the World Series.”
The Braves endured a 22-year spread betwixt appearances connected baseball’s biggest stage.
They can’t hold to get to Houston.
“It’s been a agelong clip since we’ve been to the World Series,” longtime archetypal baseman Freddie Freeman said. “This is perfectly incredible. I’m speechless.”
Spurred connected by chants of “Eddie! Eddie! Eddie” from the raucous sellout assemblage of much than 43,000, Rosario finished 14 of 25 (.560) against the Dodgers, with 3 homers and 9 RBIs.
His last hit was surely the biggest of the 30-year-old Puerto Rican’s career.
With the people tied astatine 1 successful the bottommost of the fourth, Rosario came up aft pinch-hitter Ehire Adrianza extended the inning with a two-out treble into the right-field corner. Slow-running catcher Travis d’Arnaud was held astatine 3rd by manager Ron Washington, surely alert of who was up next.
Rosario got into an extended duel with Walker Buehler, who stepped up to commencement connected 3 days’ remainder aft ace Max Scherzer wasn’t capable to spell due to the fact that of a bushed arm.
Rosario swung and missed the archetypal 2 pitches. Then helium fouled 1 off. Then helium took a ball. Then helium fouled disconnected 2 much pitches.
Finally, helium got 1 helium liked from the Dodgers’ 16-game victor — a cutter that Rosario turned into a 105 mph rocket down the right-field line, higher and higher, consecutive arsenic an arrow until it landed good backmost into the seats beneath the Chop House restaurant.
Rosario knew it was gone, dancing down the line aft delivering a 361-foot finishing changeable to a highly paid squad that won 106 games during the regular play — 18 much than the NL East-winning Braves — but came up abbreviated successful its bid to go baseball’s archetypal repetition champion since the 2000 New York Yankees won their 3rd consecutive title.
The Braves volition beryllium looking to hide their city’s estimation for playoff misery. From 4 World Series losses successful the 1990s to the NFL Falcons blowing a 28-3 pb successful the 2017 Super Bowl, Atlanta again finds itself connected cusp of an highly uncommon feat.
A championship.
Those ’95 Braves stay the city’s lone squad successful the 4 large sports — baseball, football, hoops and hockey — to seizure a title. Freeman said aft a Game 5 nonaccomplishment that the city’s past would stay an contented “until we termination that narrative.”
They’re 4 wins from doing conscionable that.
After starter Ian Anderson allowed Cody Bellinger’s run-scoring azygous successful the 4th connected his next-to-last hitter of the night, the well-rested Atlanta bullpen took over.
A.J. Minter struck retired 4 successful 2 innings of work. Luke Jackson failed to get an retired successful the seventh, giving up AJ Pollock’s run-scoring double, but Matzek stranded runners astatine 2nd and 3rd with 3 consecutive strikeouts — the past of them by Mookie Betts connected 3 pitches.
Matzek returned to the mound for a cleanable eighth earlier handing disconnected to Smith.
The Braves jumped up with back-to-back, two-out doubles disconnected Buehler successful the archetypal — the 2nd of them by Austin Riley, whose shot down the left-field line one-hopped into the Dodgers bullpen.
With their pitching unit successful disarray, the Dodgers scuttled plans to commencement Scherzer. The right-hander had complained of a dormant limb aft Game 2, and helium was inactive struggling to bounce backmost aft a workout Friday.
Buehler, who had been projected to spell successful Game 7 if the bid went that far, was bumped up to start for Scherzer connected conscionable 3 days’ rest.
Scherzer, the Dodgers insisted, would beryllium acceptable to spell Sunday night.
Now, he’s got each wintertime to remainder up.
Atlanta Braves’ Eddie Rosario, center, celebrates aft hitting a 3 tally location tally during the 4th inning successful Game 6 of baseball’s National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, successful Atlanta.(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
TRAINER’S ROOM
The Dodgers brought an other pitcher to Atlanta aft LHP Justin Bruihl felt thing successful his limb portion warming up for Game 5. But Bruihl remained connected the roster aft assuring manager Dave Roberts helium felt bully capable to instrumentality an inning successful Game 6. As it turned out, helium wasn’t needed.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: After a steak of 7 consecutive victories successful elimination games was snapped, they won’t play different crippled that counts until the 2022 play opener against the Colorado Rockies. That comes connected March 31 astatine Dodger Stadium.
Braves: Charlie Morton is acceptable to spell against his erstwhile squad successful the World Series opener. He memorably came retired of the bullpen successful Game 7 of the 2017 Series to transportation 4 innings of two-hit ball, closing retired the lone rubric successful Astros past with a 5-1 triumph implicit the Dodgers.
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