Please, if you’re listening, baseball gods. Remember Friday’s potential outcomes from the Braves vs. Dodgers best-of-seven National League Championship Series.

What a great start to the weekend—not to overstate the significance of a conference in May that was essentially meaningless. Despite their imperfections, the Braves and Dodgers exhibited the rugged allure that has consistently led them to winning divisions.

After a bloop single into shallow center field by rookie Andy Pages, the Braves were down 4-3 against the Dodgers after 11 innings.

Brian Snitker, manager of the Braves, stated, “It was about getting the big Һit, and they got one more than we did.”

The Braves suffered a heartbreaking loss, but what an engaging three hours. It’s difficult to avoid seeing a game like this being played in the autumn. one with far higher stakes than one of 162. Friday demonstrated how little leeway these clubs have when playing one another. It felt like a two-on-two equals exchange blows, rather than just another random tight game.

Austin Riley, the Braves’ third baseman, smashed a home run. In the eighth, reigning MVP Ronald Acuña made the game-tying shot. The group saved itself from a few tight situations. The ageless wonder that is Charlie Morton, the starting pitcher for the Braves, more than held his own against the MVP trio of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers.

The Dodgers’ much-maligned bullpen wasn’t all that bad. And in the tenth, Braves closer Raisel Iglesias gave up the game-tying Һit to Ohtani, the team’s highly sought offseason acquisition. Teoscar Hernandez, a rookie, scored a home run. Ohtani was scored by a crucial single by catcher Will Smith.

Morton remarked, “You know how good Shohei is.” And you are aware of how excellent they have been for a while. I’ve faced some really, really good lineups with that squad, and they’re no different over there. Those players step into the box. They may have a somewhat different appearance, but they have always been tough.

The most remarkable of all was that Pages had four hits. Unsung heroes have traditionally been a source of success for the Braves. They make the most of each player on their squad. The Dodgers are the only team that has continuously followed suit, and Pages is the most recent illustration.

Before the game, Snitker praised the Dodgers’ development system in great detail. Everyone brings up the team’s salary, and with good reason, but L.A. does a fantastic job of balancing out the big-time players with internal talent.

Riley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “They do a good job.” They rank among the top teams in the league and have done so for some time. That’s because of something. I was struck with Pages’ poise and assurance while he was at the plate. It was my first time seeing him, and I thought his at-bats were fairly good.

Winning culture is embodied by these teams. They exhibit tenacity, assurance, and a relentlessness that is only strengthened by their extraordinary talent. These two MLB clubs have been the greatest over the past few years (October Madness excluded). In 2024, they might be the top two teams once more.

Reliever A.J. Minter told the AJC, “It definitely feels (like there are) more butterflies, postseason atmosphere.” It goes without saying that competing against skilled players improves your own play. It feels distinct from other things.

Both teams exhibit the traits that make them so hard to topple, even as they work through problems and continue to attempt self-stabilization. There are many people who detest the Dodgers, including people in San Francisco, San Diego, and perhaps most of America, and many who detest the Braves, particularly those in Philadelphia and New York, yet everyone should recognize these teams’ constancy.

Now, with fresh wounds from prior Octobers, the clubs won’t get overly excited by a single early-season game. Despite their talent, the Braves and Dodgers have a combined record of 3-12 in the postseason, with those losses coming against division rivals who placed lower in the standings. This makes the regular season seem even less significant.

Consider this: In their first game of the season, the Braves defeated the Phillies two games to one. However, the team’s 0–4 record in the same location over the previous two postseasons seemed to overshadow it. The Dodgers just prevailed in a series in Arizona, but they always do that; in October, however, they were swept.

A 162-game season can only value each game to such an extent. Even when these titans square off, the focus is more on how they could match up in five months than it is on the current match.

Therefore, it’s impossible to get overly worked up over any event or outcome, not even with 50,000 fans cheering at Chavez Ravine, not with All-Stars upon All-Stars dotting both rosters, and not with their recent past. The essence of the postseason cannot be captured in May.

There are ridiculously high expectations on both teams. Only the Phillies, who have jumped the Braves in the NL East rankings, and the Yankees share the mindset that it’s World Series or bust.

“You visit a select few teams, or when they visit you, it’s like baseball in the postseason.” One of them is this, Riley informed the AJC. I believe that baseball is a particularly enjoyable sport because of the skill on both sides of the ball, the organizations’ rich histories, and the fans. You get to assess yourself against a superior squad.

This weekend promises to be fun. The Braves and Dodgers would certainly welcome an even better October, so perhaps this is a sneak peek.