The Milwaukee Brewers experienced a mix of emotions on Tuesday as they celebrated despite their loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, successfully clinching the National League Central division title. The Atlanta Braves played a pivotal role in this achievement by delivering a come-from-behind victory against the Chicago Cubs, sealing the Brewers’ division crown. It was during the eighth inning that the Braves took the lead, thanks to an unfortunate fielding blunder by Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki. Interestingly, a significant number of Brewers fans chose to stay at American Family Field after the game to witness the conclusion of the Braves-Cubs match.
Christian Yelich, a two-time All-Star, expressed his thoughts about the game after the Cubs suffered a one-run loss. He acknowledged the sudden shift in emotions, as the disappointment of not securing victory on their own turned into excitement and the anticipation of celebrating with champagne. The Braves, who have established themselves as the team with the most home runs in the major leagues this season, exemplified their power-hitting prowess once again during their comeback. A solo home run by Kevin Pillar in the bottom of the sixth inning initiated their resurgence. Additionally, star right fielder and NL MVP candidate Ronald Acuna Jr. contributed with a two-run homer, narrowing the Cubs’ lead to just one run.
The pivotal moment came in the eighth inning when Braves catcher Sean Murphy hit what seemed to be a routine fly ball towards the outfield. However, Suzuki miscalculated his attempt to catch the ball, resulting in a missed catch and allowing the ball to fall to the ground. With this error, Braves closer Raisel Iglesias took to the mound in the ninth and secured a 7-6 victory for his team. On the other hand, the Cubs are still holding onto a half-game lead over the Miami Marlins for the National League’s final wild-card spot.
With the Brewers sealing their division, only two division titles are yet to be decided in the American League— the AL East and AL West. The Baltimore Orioles have already secured a playoff spot and lead the AL East, while the Texas Rangers currently hold first place in the AL West. As the MLB postseason approaches, the wild-card round is set to begin on Tuesday. Fans eagerly await the World Series, scheduled to commence on October 27th.