Anthopoulos no stranger to Game 5 drama
Atlanta GM Anthopoulos looks forward to more unforgettable baseball moments
As a baseball man who has lived through one of the most iconic moments in Toronto sports history, Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is prepared to expect the unexpected.
The fifth and deciding game of the Braves’ NLDS clash against the St. Louis Cardinals here on Wednesday may not go bat-flip crazy to rival Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS, when Anthopoulos was GM of the Toronto Blue Jays.
But given the stage and the stakes — not to mention the dramatic swings back and forth thus far in the series — few would be shocked of Game 5 of the 2019 NLDS had its own signature conclusion.
“To me, that’s what sports is about: the moments you never forget,” Anthopoulos said during an interview with Postmedia as the Braves prepared for their bid to end a nine-series post-season losing streak. “And nine times out of 10, those games and those moments come in the playoffs. The two (deciding) Game 5s I’ve been involved in were both really tight games, so you remember the unique times in each.
“It’s going to be fun and it’s going to be a great atmosphere.”
If Anthopoulos feels nervous, it’s on a different level than the players in a couple of key ways. Effectively, once the July 31 trade deadline passed, the bulk of his work for the 2019 Braves was done.
Sure, he confers regularly with manager Brian Snitker and his management group, but mostly the fortunes are now in the hands of Snitker and players such as Wednesday’s starter
Mike Foltynewicz and position players such as Josh Donaldson, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freddie Freeman.
“Speaking for myself — and a lot of other GMs I’ve talked to who feel the same way — when you’re in the moment, meaning the post-season, you always think back to what more could you have done,” Anthopoulos said. “Could you have made an extra move? Could you have added a little more?
“In my position, you’re always trying to balance the short term and the long term, but while you’re in the middle of it, you’re always focused on winning that day and that series. It’s a balance, but so much of the work has been done now.”
The primary goals for Anthopoulos in his second year as Braves GM were to improve the 2018 playoff team and have a group better equipped for a sustained run. Signing Donaldson brought veteran star power and signing starter Dallas Keuchel was intended to provide a cornerstone for the rotation.
From that perspective, it was mission accomplished as the Braves topped the NL East with a 97-65 record.
“That’s why winning the division is so rewarding. (You) know you did it over a long period, you’ve had success over six months or more,” Anthopoulos said.
Of course, this isn’t to say the Montreal native isn’t intensely and emotionally invested in what will take place on Wednesday at SunTrust Park. He still has vivid memories of the Rogers Centre from Oct. 14, 2015, and the ups and downs forever associated with that epic win over the Texas Rangers.
Like many who witnessed it, Anthopoulos remembers almost everything about the aftermath of Jose Bautista’s bat-flip blast to give the Jays the lead in the seventh inning.
“In our GM box, when Bautista hit the home run, we all went crazy,” Anthopoulos said of a moment that sent the crowd into a similar frenzy. “The fans and how loud they were, the energy in that stadium and the excitement when finally the last out was made? It really was amazing.”
The second Game 5 win of Anthopoulos’ front office career was also thick with emotion and drama. As the assistant GM in Los Angeles in 2016, the Dodgers were in Washington and trailed 1-0 before a four-run seventh inning turned the table. The Nationals scored two in the bottom half of that inning.
The drama carried into the eighth when Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw came in to get the last two outs just two days after tossing 110 pitches in Game 4.
“If you were to ask me about the Washington-L. A. series and what happened in Games
1, 2, 3, 4, somewhat amazingly I wouldn’t be able to tell you much,” Anthopoulos said. “But Game 5, I remember almost all of it. It’s the situation, with so much on the line, that you know you’re going to remember it.”
Anthopoulos still expects big things at SunTrust Park on Wednesday, although the Braves would have preferred to have wrapped things up in St. Louis in Monday’s Game 4, thus avoiding Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty in the finale. rlongley@postmedia.com