The Atlanta Braves are an American baseball team with a pretty solid reputation. They are based in Atlanta, and they have been well established since the early late 1800s.
As a team, they were established in 1871, but they were not based in Atlanta, and were known as the Atlanta Braves, until 1966.
Previously, they were the Boston Braves, the Boston Red Caps, and The Milwaukee Braves.
If you’re into baseball, you are sure to have heard of the Atlanta Braves. The team is one of the most successful baseball teams in America, being known as the team of the 90s, as well as America’s Team.
They compete in Major League Baseball, as members of the National League East Division. Their current home stadium is Truist Park, near downtown Atlanta.
There’s a lot more to the Atlanta Braves than this. In this article, we are going to be telling you everything you need to know about Atlanta’s major baseball team.
The Start Of The Braves
The Atlanta Braves were originally known as the Boston Red Stockings, founded by Ivers Whitney Adams.
This was in 1871, and with the help of Harry Wright, the Boston Red Stockings became one of the nine members of the National baseball league in the United States.
The Boston Red Stockings were always a force to be reckoned with, as they won six out of eight of the first eight pennants in history, making them an incredibly successful baseball team.
Even better, in 1875, they won 26 games in a row, as well as all of their home games in the South end of Boston.
In the early 1900s, the team was performing poorly. This led to the Braves becoming less popular, and they had lost a lot of fans to the Red Sox team.
After 82 years at Boston, the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee. They became successful and popular again after a shift in management and location.
Finally, the team arrived in Atlanta, becoming the Atlanta Braves. This happened due to the dwindling number of fans supporting the team, meaning they moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta.
They arrived in Atlanta in 1966, slowly becoming just as popular as they had once been. Since then, the rest has been history!
The 90s
As we know, the Atlanta Braves have been exceedingly successful since the 1960s, but they peaked in the 90s.
The Braves kept on winning, from the pennant race of 91, to their amazing world championship performance of 95.
What really set them apart was their winning performances in the late 90s, in the national league championships. Their success has remained prominent throughout the years.
Rivals
The Atlanta Braves have a few teams who are their rivals. This includes the New York Mets, and The Philadelphia Phillies.
The Atlanta Braves and Mets rivalry has stemmed from the 1960s, when the Mets beat the Braves in the 1969 National League Championships.
The Mets play in the National League East, too, hence why they are such a big rival for the Braves.
Their rivalry did not become so apparent until the 1994 season, when the Mets and Braves were both placed in the same division.
The Braves were the most dominant, earning 14 titles from 94 until 05. Their rivalry continued into the early 2000s, too.
The rivalry between the Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies did not start until the late 90s, and it is not as hate-fuelled as their rivalry with the Mets.
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Braves both reigned as NL East champions from 93 until 2013, and they were continuously competing to be the best.
However, the rivalry between the Phillies and the Braves is one of respect, which is unheard of for most rivalries.
The Braves have five more titles than the Phillies, making them overall more successful in the NL East division.
Logo And Mascot
For ten years from 1945-1955, the Braves logo was the head of an Indian warrior. Then, it transformed into an Indian with a mohawk and feather.
This was before the team moved to Atlanta. When the team moved to Atlanta, the ‘Braves’ scripture underneath the logo was added.
From 1987, their logo went through a big, modern change. This included the word ‘Braves’ in a cursive, Italic font. With a tomahawk below.
Their logo is now Blue, with a White ‘A’, representing Atlanta.
The mascot for the Atlanta Braves is called Blooper, created at a fan festival in 2018. Their mascot is not used widely, but he may turn up at games!
He’s a large fuzzy creature with extendable ears, and he doesn’t smile, mostly because he has no mouth!
What Is The Tomahawk Chop?
The tomahawk chop is an action that the team encourages fans to do, at games, and at home.
The tomahawk chop has been widely scrutinized in later years, for its potential insensitivity to native tribal groups.
The tomahawk chop was removed in 2019, for reasons relating to a misrepresentation of the Cherokee people and Native Americans.
It was first started by Carolyn King (the former organist for the team), who started playing the tomahawk song, catching on with Atlanta Braves fans in the early 90s.
Previously, the Braves gave out foam tomahawk hammers to encourage the chant and actions. However, this was later removed for obvious reasons.
Achievements
The Atlanta Braves have achieved multiple awards and records in their time.
The ‘most notable player’ award has been given out to six team members from 1914, to 2020, making it an extremely prestigious award to get.
The following have received the award: Johnny Evers (1914), Hank Aaron (1957), Dale Murphy (1982/1983), Terry Pendleton (1991), Chipper Jones (1999), and Freddie Freeman (2020.
There have been various Gold Glove awards dating back to the 1950s, with the most recent being won by Adam Duvall in 2021.
There is also the ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ award, that is won by players who upped their game, so to speak.
This has been won by: Davey Johnson (1973), Lonnie Smith (1989), Terry Pendleton (1991), Andrés Galarraga (2000), Javy López (2003), Tim Hudson (2010), and Josh Donaldson (2019).
On a less individual level, the Atlanta Braves have received many awards as a team.
The Atlanta Braves have won over 18 National League championships, and they are the only team in the major league to play every single season!
Warren Spahn currently has won the most games in the Atlanta Braves, with 356 wins in his career.
They have also broken many batting records over the years. Some of the most notable were won by Hank Aaron, whose record was 3,600 total hits in a single year.
He also achieved 6,500 total bases in a year. Dale Murphy broke the record for the most number of strikeouts, being 1,581 in one year.
Billy Hamilton broke the batting average and on-base percentage, with a record of .339 batting average, and .456 on-base percentage.
Hall Of Famers
A hall of famer refers to a player that is recognized as one of the top and most notable players.
Some of the most notable players from the Atlanta Braves include Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, John Smoltz, Phil Niekro, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Dale Murphy.
Hank Aaron was certainly known as one of the greatest players in baseball, winning the award for the National League’s Most Valuable Player.
The Atlanta Braves currently have a few hall of fame members.
Some of these include Terry Pendleton in 2019, Hugh Duffy in 2019, John Schuerholz in 2016, Tim Hudson in 2018, Joe Simpson in 2018, Javy López in 2014, Rabbit Maranville in 2014, Don Sutton in 2015, Chipper Jones in 2013, and Bill Lucas in 2006.
The first player to be awarded the hall of famer title was Warren Spahn in 1999.
What Are The Atlanta Braves Doing Now?
The Atlanta Braves are still as prestigious as they once were, playing against the Mets, the Chicago Cubs, and the Washington Nationals.
The Atlanta Braves current roster is managed by Brian Snitker, with a team of 26. This includes 14 pitchers, 2 catchers, 5 infielders, and 5 outfielders.
Some of their current most notable players include Jesús Cruz, Jesse Chavez, Ian Anderson, Spencer Strider, Travis d’Arnaud, Orlando Arcia, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, and Guillermo Heredia.
Final Thoughts
The Atlanta Braves remain one of the most successful and notable teams in the world, dominating the US national league.
The Atlanta Braves have had a long and successful history, with some of the most amazing performances and players in history.
We hope this article informed you well about the teams’ history, and current presence in the baseball world!
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