Braves advance to the playoffs: play the Padres tonight

October 1, 2024 -Atlanta - the Atlanta Braves have qualified for the postseason for the seventh year in a row; but it took 162 games for Atlanta to clinch this year.

The Alabama Gazette spoke with Major League Baseball Legend Ryan Klesko about the Braves' chances this post season.

"Is this the best team on paper, no it is not, but they are scrappy and fight hard," Klesko said. "They were two games back a week and a half ago; but they fought hard and finished strong."

The Braves 2024 season was marred by a number of injuries to key players.

"The problem was that the injuries happened after the trade deadline," Klesko explained.

Klesko praised the front office for "putting together this team. They found guys from all over there are guys from Triple A, there are a couple of rookies>

Klesko said that sometimes being an unknown commodity is an advantage.

"They have never seen you before, so they don't know how to pitch to you," Klesko added.

The Braves will play the San Diego Padres tonight for the first game of the wild card round of the National League Playoffs.

"They are going to be severe underdogs in every game they play," said Klesko.

Klesko said that the playoffs are not necessarily about having the best team on paper; but rather about having a team that gets hot at the right time.

"Do they have a chance? Yes, they do. I have seen the Marlins put together a team and win the World Series twice," said Klesko. "The Giants have done it and the Arizona Diamondbacks went all the way to the World Series last year."

"Once you are in the playoffs its game on," said Klesko. "I would never count them out."

The start of this year's playoffs are overshadowed by the passing of baseball's all-time hits leader – Pete Rose. Rose died Monday at age 83 suddenly.

"Pete was really nice to me," said Klesko. "I have gone on his show. He was very smart and very knowledgeable."

Rose who was a baseball manager at the time was forced out of the sport due to findings that he had bet on his team – the Cincinnati Reds. Even though he is arguably one of the top ten players of his era, baseball has kept him out of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

"They kept him out as a punishment," Klesko explained. "The commissioners were not going to let him in while he was still alive. I hope that they let him in now."

On Monday, the Braves and New York Mets played a double header. Both needed to win one of the games to clinch a wild card berth in the 2024 Major League Baseball postseason.

The Braves started strong in the first game; but the Mets rallied in the 8th inning to take the game and clinch their ticket to the postseason. The Braves won the second game 3 to 0 to finish the 2024 MLB regular season 89 and 73 and take the last wild card spot in the National League – beating out the Arizona Diamondbacks who played in the World Series last year. The Braves finished 9 games back of the Los Angeles Dodger who won the Division.

Atlanta plays the first game of their 2024 postseason on the road tonight when they play the San Diego Padre in the National League Wild Card round, which is a best-of-three series. This is not your father's Major League Baseball so more teams get in the postseason. Also since the Braves are the lower seeded of the two wildcard teams they do not get a home game in this series.

Game 1 will be tonight at 7:38 p.m. CDT on ESPN.

Game 2 of Braves at the Padres will be Wednesday at 7:38 p.m. CDT (on ESPN2.

If Game 3 of Braves at Padres is necessary it will be on Thursday at 7:08 p.m. CDT on ESPN.

The Braves won the World Series in 2021 and 1995.

Braves pitching ace and Cy Young candidate Chris Sale could not pitch on Monday due to a back injury. The Braves have left him off their wildcard round roster due to continued problems with that back so he will not be available for the Braves in any of the Padres games.

Klesko was a member of that 1995 Braves World Champions team. He played 16 years in the Majors for the Braves, Padres, and Giants from 1992 to 2007. He has a career .279 batting average and finished with 1564 hits, 978 RBIs, and 278 homeruns. He was drafted by the Braves in the fifth round in 1989.

UPDATED - October 2, 2024 - while the Braves did make the playoffs, they lost both of the first two games against the Padres in the first round of the MLB playoffs ending their 2024 postseason run.

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