Atlanta Braves: The All-Time Bracket
No. 1 vs. 8 seed
Despite the quality of the 1990s era teams, the 1957 Braves probably deserve the top seed. That championship club had Hank Aaron (.322, 44, 132), Eddie Mathews (.292, 32, 94), and Red Schoendienst (.310).
On the mound, Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, and Bob Buhl were about as dominant as Maddux, Glavine or Smoltz, They combined for a 56-27 record in 99 starts and 743 innings.
The 1991 Braves are a powerful eighth seed. Losers of a memorable seven-game World Series to the Minnesota Twins, third baseman Terry Pendleton batted .319 with 22 homers and 86 RBIs, and was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player. Ron Gant drove in 105 runs with 32 home runs.
The pitching staff featured Glavine (20-11, 2.55) with Smoltz, Charlie Leibrandt and Steve Avery in supporting roles. Avery, enjoying the best season of his brief career, was 18-8 in 35 starts.
Game 1: The 1991 Braves had a 94-68 regular-season record, good for a .580 percentage. In 1957 the Braves finished 95-59, a .617 percentage.
Game 2: The 1957 team had a .571 post-season percentage. In 1991 the Braves beat Pittsburgh in a seven-game NLCS before losing to Minnesota in seven, a .500 post-season percentage.
Game 3: The 1991 Braves had a 98 OPS+. In 1957, Aaron, Mathews, and Company produced a 111 OPS+.
Game 4: The 1957 Braves pitched to a 101 staff ERA+. In 1991 the Braves produced a 112 ERA+.
Game 5: The 1991 Braves produced 45.1 WAR. But the 1957 club rode Aaron’s 8.0 and Mathews’ 7.4 to a team 49.3 WAR.
Result: 1957 in five games