The Atlanta Braves needed a big showing over the weekend, and got exactly that in a sweep over the New York Mets. The result from the weekend series swung the balance of power in the NL East into the hands of the Braves.
The fans deserve a ton of credit for the energy and passion they brought to such a critical series. ESPN's Buster Olney joined The Steakhouse on Tuesday morning to discuss the series, and he was as complimentary of the Braves fans as he was the club itself!
Steak Shapiro started it off with a question about the energy and buzz that enveloped The Battery and Truist Park over the weekend, and Olney agreed that it was a difference-maker for the Braves.
"I'll defer to Brian Snitker, who has been around for a lot of teams, a lot of crowds, and a lot of situations," Olney said on Tuesday. "He was telling us before the game on Sunday about how amazing the atmosphere was and how much fun it was."
The fans were engaged and they were loud. The impact that they had on each game wasn't lost on their broadcast team either, according to Olney.
"Our broadcasters, in-between innings, were talking about the scene and the feel for the ballpark," Olney continued. "Our broadcasters were talking about how much fan interaction there was."
The Braves have long-enjoyed their large and passionate fanbase, but they seemed to up the ante a bit in 2022. The team smashed the Truist Park record for attendance before September, and celebrated its three-millionth fan for the first time since 2000.
With the playoffs looming, home-field advantage will, again, be very important for the Braves. The magic number to lock up the division is down to one, and the team would get a much-needed break. After that, it's full steam ahead as the Braves will look to be the first team to repeat as World Series champions in two decades.