World Series Game Three: Historic Proportions

The city of Atlanta has not had a great sports history. It was in 1966 that the Braves moved for the second and most recent time, relocating from Milwaukee to Atlanta, and it was that same year that the Atlanta Falcons were established. Two years later, Atlanta received the NBA's Hawks, who had previously played in St. Louis for 13 seasons and won a championship in 1958. In 1972, Atlanta joined the NHL with the establishment of the Flames, but after eight disappointing seasons, six playoff appearances, and only two playoff games won, the team relocated to Calgary in 1980, and went on to win the Stanley Cup in 1989. They tried again with the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999, but lasted 11 seasons and only made the playoffs once before moving to Winnipeg and becoming the second Jets team.

Regarding Atlanta's three main teams, there has been very little success. The Braves had a memorable run of division titles from 1991-2005, but it resulted in only five pennants and just one World Championship. The Hawks have yet to win an NBA Championship in Atlanta, and the Falcons reached the Super Bowl twice, losing Super Bowl XXXIII, and regarding Super Bowl LI, well, the less I say about that, the better. Currently, the Braves are in the World Series, and after splitting two in Houston, the Series shifted to Atlanta, with Game 3 being the first Series game in that city since October 24, 1999.

Prior to the game, a tribute to Henry "Hank" Aaron took place; the iconic home run hitter passed away on January 22 of this year. Aaron played all 23 seasons with the Braves, beginning his career when the team was located in Milwaukee, and moved with the team to Atlanta in 1966. His HR total of 755 remains the most legendary number in baseball history, as it stood for over three decades until Barry Bonds hit #756 on August 8, 2007.

Ian Anderson started for the Braves, and he definitely delivered. Five shutout, no-hit innings; becoming the second pitcher to throw at least five hitless innings in a World Series game. The first? The late, great Don Larsen, who pitched his famous perfecto on October 8, 1956. Braves pitching ended up throwing seven no-hit innings until Aledmys Diaz's single to lead off the eighth inning ended their bid. The Braves only surrendered one other hit afterwards, and all they needed from their hitters was Austin Riley's RBI single in the third inning, and Travis d'Arnaud's solo shot in the eighth inning (his second HR of the Series).

The Braves won Game Three by a score of 2-0, and they are two wins away from winning the whole thing. Other than Anderson, A.J. Minter, Luke Jackson, Tyler Matsek, and closer Will Smith help shutdown and shut out Houston's offense. Other than Diaz, Houston's only other hit came from the bat of Alex Bregman. Not only are the Braves two wins away from a championship, they are two wins away from ending a terrible narrative that has plagued Atlanta sports in recent years: the "choking" label. It all started with Super Bowl LI, and that's been used to turn Atlanta sports into a punch line. The Falcons continued to blow big leads in games. The Braves blew a 3-1 lead in the 2020 NLCS. Before that year, the Braves were embarrassed in Game Five of the NLDS on their park, when they gave up 10 runs in the first inning. A championship will put all of that on the back burner, and that relief is two wins away, and could be as soon as two days away.

Game Four is Saturday in Atlanta.

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