ATLANTA _ Five years ago, the Braves celebrated their last division title before soon embarking on baseball's latest trend: a complete teardown. One done with the promise of sustainable success, done in hope of recapturing the mystique of the 1990s and devising a roster with embraceable talents and well-renowned flair.
Mission accomplished. The Braves are National League East champions. The cupboard is stacked. The financial flexibility is existent. The standard is set. The new glory days have begun.
The Braves clinched their 18th division title with a 5-3 win over the Phillies on Saturday. They were presented the opportunity to take the division themselves and defeated the Phillies three consecutive games to end the division race.
Mike Foltynewicz took his throne as the Braves ace. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh before Odubel Herrera singled. He exited with two on and one out in the eighth to a resounding SunTrust Park ovation, to which he tipped his cap. The All-Star's growth, especially mentally, has been paramount in the team's turnaround.
Starter Jake Arrieta, the Phillies' high-priced free-agent acquisition, couldn't find the strike zone until pitch No. 9. Ronald Acuna swiped second after his leadoff walk. Johan Camargo swatted one past short to score Acuna and Inciarte.
The story of the Braves' 2018 season cannot be told without Camargo's narrative. After exceeding hopes a year ago, he had to compete for his third-base job. An injury slotted him onto the disabled list to start the season. He backed up Ryan Flaherty and Jose Bautista until late May.
Camargo wasn't glorified as a prospect. In a system rich with blossoming youth, his work positioned him for a starting job. He's hit .351 (39-for-111) with 11 doubles, six homers and 60 RBIs with runners in scoring position.
But it wasn't meant to be easy. Jesse Biddle was unable to strand Foltynewicz's runners, as manager Brian Snitker required three relievers to narrowly escape the eighth, when a 4-0 lead had dwindled to a run.
The Phillies' historically poor defense helped the Braves get a run back. Adam Morgan couldn't pick up an Inciarte grounder, then threw past first to advance him. He scored on Kurt Suzuki's two-out single.
Perhaps the jubilation is better for no one than Freddie Freeman, who's waited patiently through endless roster changes, a managerial move, a new front office and a new stadium. He never sought a trade. He endured loss and loss, in the midst of his prime, on the premise that it'd turn sooner than later.
He had his chance in the second inning. Acuna and Inciarte reached on two-out singles. Freeman bopped one over the second-base bag, scoring both and leading the Phillies to yank Arrieta after two innings. It was the shortest outing of the Cy Young winner's career.
The Braves could've entered the Arrieta (or other starters) sweepstakes. They opted for patience. They were rewarded a division title, with plenty of room to maneuver after the postseason. They banked on internal growth, figuring their players would show them who they were in an assessment season.
A division title wasn't supposed to be part of that assessment. But their players proving who they are, and why they belong, produced a postseason berth. The kids are no longer prospects. They still don't know the magnitude of what they've accomplished.
The youth was never dazed. They re-energized the veterans, Freeman, Nick Markakis. They dominated the NL East. They're competed with the league's best. They even won on the west coast, a rarity for about any Braves team.
This season marks the second division title since the Braves won 14 consecutive, an MLB record. They did so this time in perhaps the unlikeliest of ways.
In sports, it's difficult to find the happy medium of seasoned and inexperienced. The Braves identified the perfect mix, even if it wasn't consciously. Snitker, an organizational staple of four decades, has now experienced the latest peak of his life's devotion.
As for the remaining eight games, the Braves can gun for home-field advantage _ they're three games behind the Cubs _ or opt to take it easier. For now, they're likely to see the NL West winner, maybe the Dodgers, who defeated them in the postseason that half-decade ago.
However it unfolds, the ebullient Braves have October baseball for which to prepare. And they boast the stars, depth and enthusiasm of one poised to be a difficult out.
That's a pretty good evaluation year.
