The long wait is finally over. The Atlanta Braves won the World Series for the first time in 26 years, finishing off the Houston Astros in Game 6 Tuesday night. Jorge Soler led the Braves in the 7-0 win, hitting a three-run homer in the top of the third inning to give Atlanta the lead that it would not relinquish.
Soler's homers the difference in 2021 World Series
Soler's homer came on a two-out cutter by Astros starter Luis Garcia, blasting the 3-2 pitch over the left-field train tracks at Minute Maid Park to silence the Houston crowd. Soler put on quite a show in this World Series, leading the Braves in homers (3), RBIs (6), and extra-base hits.
All three of Soler's homers were legendary, to say the least. He started the World Series with a bang, hitting a lead-off homer in Game 1 to stun the Astros, becoming the first player in MLB history to accomplish such a feat. Soler then hit the game-winning home run in Game 4, doing so as a pinch-hitter.
Soler's third-inning homer in Game 6 capped off an incredible World Series for the Havana native, who became just the second Cuban-born player to win the MVP award in the Fall Classic.
It wasn't just Soler who starred for the Braves in the World Series clincher. Max Fried was superb in Game 6, pitching six shutout innings in a sterling 74-pitch performance. He baffled the Astros hitters all evening long, allowing just four hits and no walks and striking out six batters. Fried did not allow a single extra-base hit as he helped preserve the early lead that Soler provided.
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Freeman and Snitker's loyalty rewarded with a Series win
Freddie Freeman had a signature moment in Game 6 as well, hitting a solo homer in the top of the seventh inning that gave Atlanta a 7-0 lead. That was Freeman's fifth home run in this playoffs, tying Fred McGriff's 1996 franchise record for most homers in a single postseason.
Freeman peaked at exactly the right time, finishing the postseason with a slash line of .304/.420/.625. That is remarkable considering his slash line in the playoffs stood at 190/.320/.381 after Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. Freeman started that series 0 for 8, but he found his groove when the games mattered most.
It was an incredible journey for manager Brian Snitker, who has spent the past 44 years with the Braves organization. He had his work cut out for him in the regular season, with the Braves sitting five games out of first place by the end of July.
Snitker and the rest of the Braves persevered, though, winning 36 of their last 55 regular-season games, and beating the Brewers, Dodgers, and Astros in the playoffs, to become the first team in the history of the majors to capture the World Series despite not boasting a winning record until August 6.
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