It’s July 10, 2021. The Atlanta Braves record is 44 and 44, and their star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. tears his ACL against the Miami Marlins. They look like their season is over. But they sure didn’t feel that way. The Braves continued to fight to keep their season alive. They made notable trades at the deadline and clinched their division. And on November 3, 2021, the Atlanta Braves wake up World Series champions.

On November 2, 2021, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros with a final score of 7-0,  taking the series four games to two. Max Fried started on the mound for the Braves, and he pitched an excellent game. His final stat line was 6.0 innings pitched, four hits, zero runs, zero walks, and six strikeouts. The Braves had some offensive firepower in the form of home runs from Jorge Soler, Dansby Swanson, and Freddie Freeman.

One of the Houston Astros four hits came in the bottom of the ninth inning. Michael Brantley hit a lead-off single, trying to rally down by seven. But Braves closer Will Smith didn’t budge, and he got the next three outs. The final out was a ground ball to Shortstop, where Dansby Swanson fielded the ball, and threw to fist-baseman Freddie Freeman to finish the series.

Freeman was drafted by the Braves in round two of the 2007 MLB draft. Freeman has been a part of the Braves organization since he was drafted. Freeman is a five-time all star, two-time silver slugger, one gold glove, the 2020 MVP, and now a 2021 World Series champion. That is a very impressive resume. When his career is done, Freeman will most likely be a hall-of-famer, and he finally won it all for the city of Atlanta.

Some notable trades the Braves made at the deadline included Jorge Soler, Joc Pederson, and Eddie Rosario.

Soler won the World Series MVP. He was electric in the series, and he showed off his unreal power. Soler was traded from the KC Royals. In 360 plate appearances with the Royals in 2021, he batted .192 with 59 hits, 13 of those hits being home runs. He significantly improved once he was dealt to Atlanta. In 242 plate appearances, he hit .269 with 56 hits, with 14 of those hits being home runs. Soler was a big part of the Braves success down the stretch, and even into the World Series.

Pederson and Rosario were no slouches either. They were both big contributors during the regular season, but even more so in the playoffs.

Atlanta surprised many by even making the playoffs. Their World Series win ends a 26-year championship drought, and it also brings the end to the 2021 MLB season.