This past week, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros in the 2021 World Series. The National League Champions, the Braves, who had not won a Series since 1995, beat the American League winners, the Astros, in six games. Many experts and fans did not believe that Atlanta would make it to the World Series, let alone win it.

Game 1:

The first game of the Fall Classic took place in Houston, and Atlanta began the series with a bang. Power hitter Jorge Soler crushed a home run into left field to start the game, and Atlanta’s offense was unstoppable. The Braves ace, Charlie Morton, fractured his leg early in the game. Despite that, he was able to pitch another scoreless inning before being pulled. Atlanta took the first game with a final score of 6-2.

Game 2:

The Astros were looking to even the Series up in Game 2 in Houston after losing the first game. The Astros starting pitcher was Jose Urquidy, who pitched one of the best games of his career. Urquidy allowed just two runs over five innings, and the Houston bullpen powered through the Atlanta lineup. The Braves were unable to recover from a five-run deficit after the first two innings, resulting in the Astros tying the Series with a final score of 7-2.

Game 3:

After a day’s rest, the World Series went to Atlanta for three games. With the Series tied at 1-1, a win for either team would be a huge booster. Atlanta’s starter, the young Ian Anderson, pitched five no-hit innings before being pulled due to a high pitch count. With dominant innings from their ‘big four’ relievers, AJ Minter, Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek and Will Smith, as well as a home run by Catcher Travis D’arnaud, the Braves tossed a combined two-hit shutout and took Game 3, 2-0.

Game 4:

The Braves — coming off a relieving win — were looking to make the Series 3-1 in their favor on Halloween night. Both teams had ‘bullpen games,’ where relief pitchers pitch the majority of the game. Houston took an early 2-0 lead, which included a Jose Altuve solo home run. The Braves cut the lead in half in the sixth inning, and the game headed into the seventh inning. The Astros brought in reliever Christian Javier to face Dansby Swanson, Jorge Soler and the top of the Atlanta lineup. When Swanson came to the plate, he hit a game-tying home run into right field. After that, Jorge Soler hit a laser shot into left field, giving Atlanta the lead. The Astros were unable to bounce back, and Atlanta took a 3-1 series lead with a final score of 3-2.

Game 5:

The Braves were just one win away from winning their first world series in 25 years, and it seemed as if it would happen when the Braves had the bases loaded in the first inning. Adam Duvall came to the plate and hit a Grand Slam, giving the Braves a 4-0 lead. However, the Astros kept chipping away at the Atlanta lead, and even a 460-foot home run off the bat of Braves slugger Freddie Freeman could not keep the Astros from winning 9-5. The series headed back to Houston for Game 6 with Atlanta leading 3-2.

Game 6:

The Braves were still just one win away from the title, but they were now playing in Houston. The Braves started with left hander Max Fried, who pitched 6 scoreless innings. In the third inning, home run hitter Jorge Soler came to the plate with two men on base. After a long at-bat, Soler hit a ball out of Minute Maid Park, giving the Braves a 3-0 lead; one that Houston could not recover from. Matzek and Smith closed the game out, and the Braves had just won their first World Series since 1995, with a game score of 7-0 and a series score of 4-2.

Series MVP:

After an outstanding series in the batters box, including three home runs, Jorge Soler received the award for 2021 World Series MVP.