Braves clinch playoff spot for first time in five years

The Braves have made the playoffs.

The Braves have made the playoffs.

THE BRAVES HAVE MADE THE PLAYOFFS!

Finally, after four years of sitting at home while other teams continued their seasons into mid-October, the Braves will be among the few teams whose 2018 doesn’t end with Game 162. After a disappointing collapse in 2014 and then three years spent wandering the Rebuilding Desert, the Braves seized their opportunities in 2018 and ran with them, all the way to a division title.

They didn’t wait to do it, either. With the division on the line against the Phillies, the Braves only needed three wins in four games to sew it up. They didn’t even need four games, winning their first three contests en route to an on-field celebration in front of the hometown fans at SunTrust Park.

This is only Atlanta’s second division title since ending their streak of 14 in 2005. How fitting that they clinched it exactly five years, to the day, after doing so in 2013. And, don’t look now, but if nothing changes, they’re in line to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series — the same opponent that knocked them out of the playoffs that year.

There’s work to do yet — to settle home-field advantage, to align the roster and rotation for the playoffs, to name a few. But for now, the Braves and their fans can and should celebrate. This is what the baseball season is all about, and the Braves have finally reached the promised land once again.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO