“It doesn't matter on paper who's the best team, it's the team that gets hot at the right time” - Austin Riley shares honest assessment of the Atlanta Braves’ shock NLDS elimination 

Sixth seed Philadelphia Phillies stunned the 101-win Atlanta Braves to reach the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2010.

While the result is a huge upset, it’s not necessarily a shock for the Atlanta Braves. The defending champions were in a similar spot last year but on the receiving end when they upset the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2021 NLCS en route to the World Series.

The postseason is all about teams who peak at the right time, and not necessarily about teams who have been at the top all season.

Ask the Dodgers, who were sent packing last night after losing three in a row in their NLDS showdown against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers won 111 games during the regular season, while the Padres barely made it to the playoffs and finished an astonishing 22 games behind Los Angeles.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley has acknowledged the same. Speaking after last night’s 8-3 embarrassment, he said:

Bally Sports: Braves

@BravesOnBally

Austin Riley discusses the NLDS results

"I hate this part. All I can say is I'm going to be working harder than ever this offseason because this group is special. It really is."

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Austin Riley discusses the NLDS results ⤵️

"I hate this part. All I can say is I'm going to be working harder than ever this offseason because this group is special. It really is." https://t.co/jWSRB9ReUJ

“I said it last year when we were making our run. It doesn't matter on paper who's the best team, it's the team that gets hot at the right time. They're hot right now.” - Austin Riley (0:24 - 0:35)

The Phillies will face the Padres in an all-wild card NLCS matchup starting Tuesday at Petco Park.

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Atlanta Braves fail to defend World Series crown, MLB’s wait for a repeat champion continues

The Phillies won 87 games to clinch the final postseason berth. The Braves, on the other hand, won 101 games. On paper, there seems to be only one winner, but postseason games are never played on paper.

The Braves’ elimination is fifth-largest regular-season wins upset in postseason history.

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Sarah Langs

@SlangsOnSports

largest regular-season wins upsets in a postseason series:

1906 WS CHW (-23) def CHC
2001 ALCS NYY (-21) def SEA
2021 NLCS ATL (-18) def LAD
1973 NLCS NYM (-17) def CIN
2022 NLDS PHI (-14) def ATL
2019 WS WSH (-14) def HOU
2006 NLCS STL (-14) def NYM
1954 WS NYG (-14) def CLE

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largest regular-season wins upsets in a postseason series:

1906 WS CHW (-23) def CHC
2001 ALCS NYY (-21) def SEA
2021 NLCS ATL (-18) def LAD
1973 NLCS NYM (-17) def CIN
2022 NLDS PHI (-14) def ATL
2019 WS WSH (-14) def HOU
2006 NLCS STL (-14) def NYM
1954 WS NYG (-14) def CLE

"largest regular-season wins upsets in a postseason series: 1906 WS CHW (-23) def CHC; 2001 ALCS NYY (-21) def SEA; 2021 NLCS ATL (-18) def LAD; 1973 NLCS NYM (-17) def CIN; 2022 NLDS PHI (-14) def ATL; 2019 WS WSH (-14) def HOU; 2006 NLCS STL (-14) def NYM; 1954 WS NYG (-14) def CLE" - Sarah Langs

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker reflected on the difficult loss and said,

“Like I told them, the goal when we leave spring training is to win the division. Until you win the division, you don’t have a chance to do anything special because you never know what’s going to happen, you don’t know what team’s going to get hot, what things have to go right for you to go deep into the postseason. And we got in. It didn’t happen for us this year.”

Brandon Marsh hit a three-run homer and J.T. Realmuto smashed an inside-the-park home run that sent the Phillies to the NLCS.

The Braves’ loss meant that MLB hasn’t had a repeat champion since the New York Yankees’ famous three-peat (1998-2000).

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