The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A LITTLE LATE-GAME MAGIC
Culberson’s second walk-off homer of the week keeps Braves atop the NL East.
As Charlie Culberson rounded the bases, he was thinking the same thing as you.
And he doesn’t know either. A career utilityman who’s bounced between the majors and minors, Culberson keeps finding himself on the biggest stage. Be it a division-clinching
homer for the Dodgers during legendary broadcaster Vin Scully’s final home game, or giving the Braves two division wins in one homestand, he has excelled when it mattered most.
That’s something the Rome native has in common with this rendition of his hometown team.
Culberson walked off Sunday with a pinch-hit home run and the Braves took three of four from the Nationals. It was the latest thriller for a team that has an unexplainable propensity for late-game excitement this season.
It was the second time Culberson ended a game this week. He
walked off against the Mets on Monday. After Sunday’s 4-2 win, he’s now the first Atlanta Brave with two pinch-hit game-ending homers in one season.
Of his eight career home runs, four of them have ended a game.
“The feeling never gets old,” Culberson said. “I don’t really know what to say. Just right place,
right time. Things just work out. It doesn’t get old. It’s a lot of fun.”
Since Brian Snitker took over as manager May 16, 2016, the Braves have 46 wins in their final at-bat. But the tri- umphs before this season were negligible with the team hidden at the bottom of the standings.
Now they’re being noticed. The Braves have a 1½-game cushion atop the National League East on June 3, and their six walk-off wins are cur- rently proving the difference.
“I don’t think it’s a mistake. We’re agood ballclub,” Snitker said. “We’re in every game. These guys, their tenacity, the fact they never quit, that grit and guts they show is going to show up every day. I’m very pleased with where we are.”
Dansby Swanson led off the ninth inning Sunday with a double. He was initially called out at second, but the Braves won the challenge and the call was overturned.
With Culberson placing one in the left-field seats, Swanson’s run wasn’t really needed. But his baserunning was, according to Culberson.
“It started with Dansby right there,” Culberson said. “Great at-bat, hustle double. That got me in my mindset of doing the same thing.”
Swanson, who entered Sunday hitting .180 in his past 15 games, also embraces the moments. He’s hitting .338 (22-for-65) in the seventh inning or later.
“You can’t script it,” Swan- son said. “It’s truly amazing just seeing how this team competes. No matter the score, we just continue to do what we do. We’ve got all the faith in everybody in here. It’s like a family and it’s special to be a part of.”
The common thought was the young Braves aren’t quite there yet. But the wins, the timely plays and the success in divisional play (25-14) hasn’t faded.
Washington was fortunate not to have been swept. Its lone win came when it plated two runs against Miguel Socolovich in the 14th inning Saturday.
The Braves just completed an eight-game homestand. They went 5-3, with three walk-off wins.
Their unwavering confidence and energymight stem from a perfect blend of youth and veterans, one Braves starter believes.
“I remember when I was in Detroit in 2012, and they had a lot of young guys also,” said starter Anibal Sanchez, who went seven innings Sunday and allowed two unearned runs. “When you’ve got a lot of young guys, the energy they have is really, really good. They bring it to you and you have to do your best to compete with your team.”
Whatever the Braves are doing doesn’t really need an explanation. They’re winning pitching duels, slugfests and walk-offs routinely. Their cliche “take it day-by-day” mantra is paying dividends.
If they keep it up — and despite the frequent doubts, they’ve done so — maybe their season extending into October isn’t the craziest thought.