COBB COUNTY, Ga. — For the first time since Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, I was released from captivity to cover an actual postseason game in person Saturday. What a concept.
So I was there for Game 1 of Dodgers-Braves in Truist Park. And that’s why all the Weirdness and Wildness in this column will be confined to the National League side of this draw. I asked:
How the heck did the Braves win the way they won? And … how the heck did Corey Knebel make history? And … why the heck was this game even in Atlanta? And … what the heck were Albert Pujols, Julio Franco and Pete Rose doing in the same sentence? Not to mention … did something happen in this game we may never see again? I think so!
For the answers, here’s the Game 1 edition of NLCS Weirdness and Wildness.
1. The ghosts of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz live!
In Atlanta, starting pitching will always rule. Don’t hold me to that “always” part if you want to talk, say, 2058. But for now, and for the foreseeable future — by which I mean at least the next three weeks — the Atlanta Braves will not be That Team that tries to reinvent how games are played and pitched, unless all else disintegrates.
“I’m a big believer in starting pitching,” their manager, Brian Snitker, philosophized Saturday night. “You know, all them (division-championship) flags are flying out there because we had really good starting pitching.”
Yep. You can look that up, kids.
