Player of the gameHunter BrownHOU5.0ip 3h 0er 2bb 10k
Braves manager Walt Weiss has reminded his players that preseason prognosticators weren’t high on their chances this year. So, it was fitting for the underdog Martin Pérez to start the game that clinched Atlanta’s latest division crown. Pérez was a non-roster invitee who was designated for assignment on April 12. Nobody expected him to be in the position he was on Sunday afternoon, when he helped the Braves clinch the National League East with a 4-2 win over the Astros at Daikin Park. Yet, there Pérez was after the game, celebrating Atlanta’s seventh division title within the past nine years. His determined effort created an opportunity for another unsung hero, Mike Yastrzemski, to hit the game-winning three-run homer in the sixth. “We’ve been fighting all year to get to this moment with this group of good guys and good coaches,” Pérez said. “I mean, everything is good. And we're not done yet.” Yastrzemski homered three times during this 4-2 road trip that enabled Atlanta to spend the regular season’s final six games focused on the postseason. As things currently stand, the Braves will be the NL’s No. 3 seed. It looks like their Wild Card Series opponent will be either the Padres, Cubs or the division-rival Phillies.
