At Truist Park, Travis d’Arnaud launched a walk-off home run to center field, and his teammates mobbed him once he crossed home plate. The Braves celebrated there, and they will take the positive vibes with them into Sunday.
And around an hour after the Braves beat the Royals, 2-1, Atlanta received more good news – this time from the opposite side of the country. In Arizona, San Diego beat the Diamondbacks, 5-0, after scoring five runs in the ninth inning.
It means this: If the Braves win on Sunday or the Diamondbacks lose, Atlanta will clinch a seventh consecutive postseason berth. It is that simple.
The Diamondbacks and Mets lost, which put the Braves one game ahead of those two teams in the National League wild-card standings. The Braves sit in the second wild-card spot, and if they finish there, they will play in San Diego.
For this Braves group, which has endured so many injuries, a postseason berth would be remarkable. It would be yet another sign of the organizational health in Atlanta, and the ability to withstand anything.