Y’all can rank them, but if 1993 doesn’t come out on top, you’re doing something wrong. OK. 1982 is definitely next, then 1991 followed by 1969, 2022 is next. That’s the top 5.

1969: The first Atlanta pennant race.  It was the first year of divisional play, and it was a great race.  On September 11th, the Braves and Reds were tied, the Giants were a half game back, the Dodgers were a game and a half back and the fourth place Astros were only 2.5 back. (The expansion Padres were 33.5 behind to soak up the losses.)

The Braves then swept a three game series with the Astros, every game by one run.  This effectively knocked Houston out.  At that point, they were a game and a half in first ahead of the Dodgers and Giants and two ahead of the Reds.  But a West Coast trip saw them drop 2 to the Giants and split a pair with the Dodgers, leaving them a half-game back.  But they then ran off a ten game winning streak (it didn’t hurt that 6 of them were against the Padres) to clinch before losing the last day of the season.  They didn’t take the division lead until September 3 and finished three in front of the Giants.

1982: The season started great for the Braves but some midseason woes left them 3 ½ behind the Dodgers on September 17th.  After a couple of wins they were swept in Houston and lucky to be only three back on September 22nd.  But they then won four of their next five while the Dodgers lost 5 in a row to give up the lead.  A two game series in LA was split and the Braves had three with the Padres while the Dodgers had three at Candlestick. The Braves and Dodgers both won the first two to leave Atlanta up 1, and on the last day of the season both teams lost, the memorable blow being a 3 run homer by Joe Morgan off Terry Forster in the top of the 7th at just about the same time as the Braves lost in San Diego.  The Morgan blow staved off a one-game playoff.

1983: The Braves were only 2 back on September 10th but never got any closer, wavering between 3 and 4 back for the rest of the season.

1991: Worst to First. The Braves were never more than 2 back or more than 2 up from August 22nd to the end of the season.  Still two back on September 26th, they reeled off eight in a row to clinch before losing the last game of the season.

1993: The last great pennant race.  The Braves were up 4 on September 17th but then played a stretch of 0.500 ball while the Giants won 10 out of 11 to tie for the lead.  In the remaining week, the two teams matched results until the last day of the season, when the Giants lost 12-1 to the Dodgers and the Braves beat the Rockies 5-3.  104 wins to 103 qins and the Giants were eliminated, the last time a 100 win team will ever miss the playoffs. 

2000: Up 2 on September 12th, the Braves increased their lead to 5 on September 26th before frittering it away to 1 by the end of the season.

2001: Tied with the Phillies on September 24th, both teams treaded water for a week before the Braves ended the season 8-4 to nip the Philles by 2.

2009: In position for a Wild Card run the Braves lost their last six.  Yuck.

2010: Tied for first with the Phillies on September 11th, the Braves fall apart, going 9-10 while the Philles go 15-3.  Sneak into the Wild Card spot by 1 game

2011: Second straight collapse.  1.5 ahead of the Cardinals on September 21st for the Wild Card, the Braves go 1-5 in the remaining 6 games. The Cardinals at 4-3 weren’t exactly world-beaters down the stretch either, but they edged out the Braves for the Wild Card and won the World Series. Crapshoot.

2022: An amazing stretch run sullied by the fact that we were a lock for a Wild Card anyway.  LOlMets.