The Atlanta Braves had some wins throughout the regular season, couldn’t they? Atlanta, a team with more over 100 wins, had the best record in baseball through 162, yet they were still only able to generate one postseason victory. The Braves lost Game 4 to the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1, and were eliminated from the postseason on Thursday. Philadelphia eliminated the Braves for the second consecutive year.
The Philadelphia pitching staff largely silenced the hottest offense this side of the sun. The Phillies’ stars shone brighter than Atlanta’s when it came time for the star players to step up. We have to ask ourselves, “What the hell went wrong?” as Philadelphia heads into the NLCS as the overwhelming favorite to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks. Manager Brian Snitker shouldn’t take the entire blame, but he makes a convenient scapegoat in this situation.
Atlanta has had Snitker as its captain since the middle of 2016. He has won the 2021 NL pennant, the World Series that followed, and six consecutive NL East division championships. Snitker, who is 67 years old, has been a member of the Braves organization for almost his entire adult life, having joined them as a player in their minor league system in 1977. Even if he has had his moments, he had a difficult week.
Keeping that in mind, let’s talk about whether the Braves have the right to cut Snitker’s contract. Since it’s The Braves’ Way, they’ll probably remain silent and let him retire on his own, but we’ll have to wait and see.
First and foremost, you need to know that, for better or worse, the Braves never overreact, and nothing leaks out of general manager Alex Anthopoulos’ front office. Many scattered around Braves Country are finding it difficult to move over one of the most recent massive, embarrassing postseason disappointments this franchise, and city, has inflicted upon us on this eerie Friday the Thirteenth morning.
The fact that this team was excellent in the regular season and that losing to the Phillies in four games in back-to-back NLDS is just intolerable makes the concept of letting go of Snitker even more compelling. It would have been lot simpler to accept Los Angeles or Arizona losing in the NLCS. Rather, the lovely Phillies and their supporters get to advance to the NLCS for the second time in a row.
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