ATLANTA — The improbability of this Braves run was captured in two swings during the seventh inning of Game 4, a World Series contest that, if the Braves win the series, will be retold for generations.
With the Braves trailing the entire night, shortstop Dansby Swanson and pinch-hitter Jorge Soler blasted back-to-back homers off Astros reliever Cristian Javier in the seventh, putting the Braves ahead in an eventual 3-2 victory at Truist Park.
The Braves took a 3-1 lead in the World Series with consecutive home wins. They can clinch their second championship in front of their fans Sunday evening at Truist Park, where they’re undefeated this postseason.
Under manager Brian Snitker, the Braves formed an identity around comebacks and mental toughness. They’ve shown their propensity for the rally throughout the season and postseason, but no sequence exhibited it better than Saturday.
Swanson, the hometown shortstop who’d been having a difficult postseason run, had his storybook moment in the seventh. He was 11 for 47 (.234) with one extra-base hit and an RBI over 13 games entering the night. He was a Game 4 hero leaving it.
Swanson cranked a two-strike homer over the right-field wall to tie the score at 2, sending the 43,125 at Truist Park into a frenzy. Soler followed with a pinch-hit laser over the left-field wall that produced the first lead change of the series. Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez crashed into the wall trying to make the play.
The Braves led, 3-2. They didn’t look back. Circumstances had forced them into a bullpen game. The contest got off to a rocky start. The offense looked lifeless for six innings after scoring just twice Friday. The Braves, keeping with the theme of their unthinkable campaign, weren’t deterred.
It was a strange start to a World Series game. Lefty Dylan Lee was the Braves’ opener, running out from the bullpen to begin the game. Lee wasn’t on the field for long. In his fifth career appearance, he faced only four hitters, recording one out and departing with the bases loaded.
Kyle Wright inherited the mess, limiting the Astros to one run. Wright helped the Braves through their scheduled bullpen game by covering 4 2/3 innings. He was charged only one run, a solo homer by Jose Altuve in the fourth.
Perhaps it was Wright’s gutsiest outing as a pro. He lived on the edge but kept the Braves within two runs. He allowed five hits, walked three and struck out three. The Astros had a baserunner in every inning against Wright but he held them to an 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position — missed opportunities that loomed large by night’s end.
Wright appeared in only two games during the regular season. The top prospect’s struggles relegated him to Triple-A. He was a surprise add to the World Series roster after a strong finish to the season. He struck out the side during a relief appearance in Game 2, then built on that success with his showing Saturday.
Astros starter Zack Greinke looked like his old self, holding the Braves to four hits over four scoreless innings. His velocity hovered in the high-80s yet he was effective. The Braves grounded into two double plays and didn’t have a runner reach second.
Third baseman Austin Riley’s RBI single in the sixth cut Houston’s lead in half. The Braves hammered back-to-back homers for the first time in their World Series history a frame later. Their stable of key relievers — Tyler Matzek, Luke Jackson and Will Smith — kept the Astros scoreless to finish the game.
The Braves were under .500 until August. They lost their best player, All-Star starter and middle-of-the-order bat, among others. They won a measly 88 games, the lowest win total of postseason participants (though not an indication of the team’s production following the trade deadline).
Yet here they are, a win away from bringing Atlanta a championship, perhaps on Halloween night. The Braves are 7-0 at Truist Park this season, one victory shy of matching the franchise record for a home postseason winning streak.
The Braves win the World Series with a victory Sunday. They’ll rely on another bullpen game. The Astros will start Framber Valez, who surrendered five runs on eight hits in Game 1.
