This Day in Braves: Atlanta clinch 1st division title since 2013

Braves Franchise History

1948 - For the fourth time this season, Stan Musial has five hits in five at-bats to set a National League record and tie the major league mark established by Ty Cobb. Stan the Man’s hits, which include a double and home run, come off five different pitchers on five consecutive pitches in the Cardinals’ 8 - 2 victory at Braves Field in Boston.

1974 - Pitcher Tom Griffin delivers a pinch-hit single in the 14th to edge the Braves, 3 - 2. The Astros scored only when necessary – plating runs in the bottom of the 9th and the bottom of the 10th before winning it later. Ken Forsch picked up the victory.

1997- Thanks to the Mets beating the Marlins, the Braves, prior to their 3 - 2 win over the Expos, capture the National League East title. The title is the sixth straight division flag for Atlanta, which breaks the major league record, if one does not count the 1994 season, in which they were in second place when the strike ended things prematurely.

1998- Braves backup backstop Eddie Perez’s solo home run in Atlanta’s 4 - 1 win over Florida is the team’s 208th round-tripper this season, breaking a 32-year-old franchise record. Atlanta will finish the season with 215 homers, with Andres Galarraga being the club leader with 44.

2002- Greg Maddux pitches seven innings of four-hit ball as the Braves beat the Marlins, 4 - 1. “Mad Dog” joins Cy Young as one of only two pitchers in baseball history to win at least 15 games in 15 consecutive seasons.

Chicago first baseman Fred McGriff becomes the first player to hit 30 home runs in a season for five different teams (Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays and Cubs). The “Crime Dog’s” 1st-inning PNC Park poke also sets a record for being the 42nd major league park in which he’s gone yard, one more than Ellis Burks.

2013- The Braves then defeat the Cubs, 5 - 2, as they now set their eyes on finishing the year with the best record in the National League.

2014- One day after being mathematically eliminated at the end of a disappointing season, the Braves fire General Manager Frank Wren, who had been in place since 2007. John Hart takes over on an interim basis.

2014- The Pirates played their third consecutive 1 - 0 game as they defeat the Braves by that score, reducing their magic number to clinch a postseason slot to two. Francisco Liriano is the winner, thanks to a 6th-inning solo homer by Andrew McCutchen. The Bucs won two of the three contests, whereas the last team to play three such games before them, the 1960 Phillies, had lost all three.

2018-The young Atlanta Braves clinched the NL East title with a 5 - 3 win over the Phillies. This caps a remarkable season in which the Braves inserted themselves among the league’s best teams ahead of schedule after completing a thorough rebuilding.

MLB History

1911 - Cy Young, at age 44, beats the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1 - 0, for his 511th and final major league victory.

1969-Willie Mays hits the 600th home run of his career. The historic homer off Mike Corkins of the Padres proves to be the game-winner in a 4 - 2 Giants victory at San Diego Stadium.

1987- Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox reaches the 200 hit mark for the fifth straight season in an 8 - 5 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

1990 - Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs steals his 300th base in an 11 - 5 loss to the New York Mets, becoming only the second player in major league history with 300 home runs, 300 steals and 2,000 hits. Willie Mays is the other.

1998- Mariner Ken Griffey Jr., with his American League-leading 54th and 55th home runs of the season, joins Yankees Babe Ruth (1930-1932) and Lou Gehrig (1926-1934) as the only players to drive in 140 or more runs in at least three consecutive seasons. During his 22-year tenure in the major leagues, Junior will average 111 runs batted in per season.

2013- The Indians become the first team since the 1961 Yankees to record six four-game sweeps in one season.

Information for this article was found via Baseball Reference, NationalPastime.com and Today in Baseball History.