Braves Capture First World Series Title in 26 Years

The Atlanta Braves won 88 games during the regular season. They were under .500 as recently as early August. Now, they are World Series Champions.

Behind six shutout innings by starting pitcher Max Fried, and home runs by Jorge Soler, Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman, the Braves dominated the Houston Astros 7-0 in Game 6 of the World Series to capture the franchises first title since 1995.

The competitive nature of Game 6 pretty much went out the window when Soler crushed a three-run homer that went over the train tracks that sit atop the left field wall, and out of the entire building.

As Joe Buck noted during the broadcast on Fox, it was similar to the moon shot that Albert Puljos once hit for the St. Louis Cardinals many years ago when the Astros were still a member of the National League.  Jeff Passon even acknowledged it on twitter.

Soler's efforts earned him MVP honors. He hit .300 (6 hits in 20 at bats) with three homers and six RBI in the six games against Houston.

Two innings later, Dansby Swanson decided to join the party when he crushed a two-run shot that landed in the left field bleachers to give Atlanta a 5-0 lead.

Freddie Freeman, one of the longest tenured members of these Atlanta Braves, who is a pending free agent, joined the fun late. He drove in a run on a double in the fifth, then crushed a solo shot the opposite way in the seventh inning to cap off the scoring for Atlanta.

Fried, who gave up six runs to the Astros in his first start against them in this World Series in Game 2, settled into a groove nicely in Game Six, scattering four hits over his six innings of dominate work.

The victory puts an exclamation point on what was a miraculous second half for the Braves. Atlanta was as many as 5-1/2 games behind the Mets for first place in July. Atlanta went 36-19 in their final 55 games, breezed past the Mets, who collapsed, and the Phillies to take the NL East. Atlanta later took care of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, beat out the 106-win LA Dodgers in six games in the NLCS, and finally the Astros.

If any team lived by the mantra it ain't over 'til it's over, the Braves are a perfect example.