They trailed by 10 ½ games on June 1. They trailed by seven on April 10. When they awoke Wednesday, the Braves trailed no longer.
They’d caught the Mets, who are on track to win 101 games. When June arrived, the Braves were 23-27, having spent one day – April 9 – above .500. They’ve since gone 62-24. That’s a winning percentage of .721. Since 1910, only one team has played .721 ball over a full season. That was Cleveland in 1954, which went 111-43. Being Cleveland, it was swept by the New York Giants in the World Series. Willie Mays made a nice catch.
These Braves needed two months to win three consecutive games. They’ve since seen winning streaks of 14, eight and six. They’ve all but stopped losing to anybody who’s not any good. Since June 1, they’re 41-6 against teams now below .500. Since July 1, they’re 29-3. Baseball doesn’t work this way – the worst team occasionally takes a series from the best – but the Braves have become Alabama against the Vanderbilts of MLB.
