The Atlanta Braves will be in the World Series and the multiple acquisitions of Montreal general manager Alex Anthopoulos certainly have a lot to do with it.
The former Toronto Blue Jays GM has seen star player Ronald Acuna Jr. and No. 1 starter Mike Soroka fall in battle this season. He reacted by making the acquisitions of Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall and Jorge Soler at the trade deadline, in particular.
The decisions paid off as Rosario slammed a three-run homerun that made the difference in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National Championship Series on Saturday, which provided the Georgia club first ticket to the World Series since 1999.
Rosario also has the best batting average in the playoffs at .474.
“When we got the last out, I was like, ‘We’re going to the World Series, I can’t believe it,’” Anthopoulos said in a field interview after the fateful duel.
Resilience
Still, nothing seemed to destine the Braves to top honors this season. The second half of the campaign was off to a good start when the team crossed the .500 mark for the first time.
Thus, Anthopoulos had only good words for his players who never gave up along the way and in whom he trusted.
“They played hard all along. They played with intensity over and over again. We were there. We were close, ”said Anthopoulos.
«[Le président] Terry McGuirk came to me at the All-Star break and told me I had everything I needed to make this team a better place and we really rushed forward. ”
The World Series will pit the Braves against the Houston Astros. It will start on Tuesday, with the first duel in Texas.
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