Alright, let’s dive into my research dive into that 2017 Braves season. Honestly, I figured I knew baseball, but this one? Took some unexpected twists when I dug deep.
First Glance Was Rough
Checked the 2016 finish. Oof. Dead last in the NL East. 68 wins. Felt like staring at a car wreck. Staff ERA? Near 4.50. Not promising. Thought, “Okay, rebuilding year coming. Gonna be a slog.”
Then… Opening Day Surprise?
Remember watching Freddie Freeman launch one on Opening Day against the Mets? Cracked it out. Thought, “Okay, maybe there’s some pop.” But then reality bit hard. Lost 10 out of the next 11 games. Yeesh. Started wondering if they’d even hit 70 wins. Early April felt like digging a hole straight to the cellar.
Mid-Season Rollercoaster
By May, things shifted weirdly. Rookies showed up:
- Dansby Swanson? Hitting felt sketchy, but he flashed some leather at short.
- Ozzie Albies got called up July-ish? Kid was tiny but ran like lightning.
- Then Ender Inciarte? Gold Glove stuff in center, diving catches, stealing bases.
Freeman was crushing it… until May. That fastball broke his wrist. Gut punch. Season over for him? We all groaned. How do you replace your best bat? Didn’t think they could. Got Kurt Suzuki to catch, he surprised everyone clubbing homers out of nowhere! Matt Kemp lumbered into town too. Big bat, slow feet, but suddenly the lineup didn’t look quite so sad.
Suddenly, they started winning series. Not always pretty, scrappy wins. Late innings, someone would get a bloop hit, hustle out an infield single. Felt like they were duct taping wins together. Remember that crazy Marlins game? Beanball wars, benches cleared twice. Chaos! Somehow won 8-7 in 10 innings. Typical ’17 Braves game.
The Final Stretch & Rookie Spark
September rolled in. Young pitchers got thrown into the fire. Sean Newcomb, Lucas Sims. Rough outings, flashes of brilliance. Luke Jackson… well, he tried. But then Ozzie Albies really settled in. Tiny guy smacking doubles all over the field. Dansby started hitting a bit too. Bullpen? Patchwork job, blew some leads, but sometimes held on.
Finished with 72 wins. Up from 68 last year. Only a 4-win bump? Yep. But… felt different. Wasn’t a disaster. Didn’t feel like a dumpster fire anymore. Saw glimpses:
- Albies and Swanson up the middle – future looked bright.
- Inciarte got that Gold Glove vibe.
- Some young arms might be okay with time.
Didn’t sniff the playoffs, finished third behind the Nats and Mets. But it wasn’t just losses anymore. Saw actual building blocks. Felt like digging out of the worst of the mud.
Now Why Would I Remember This?
That summer sucked at my day job. Big project imploded. My team lead got reassigned. I was stuck picking up pieces, felt like I was rebuilding a dumpster fire. Listening to those scrappy Braves games on the radio commute home? Gave me weird perspective. Seeing Albies hustle out an infield single, Dansby making a slick play – it reminded me that even small steps forward count. That duct tape effort sometimes gets you a messy win. Helped me slog through fixing that awful project codebase, honestly. Kinda bonded with that underdog team vibe. They weren’t champs, far from it, but they stopped being the joke. They got off the floor.
