Kirby Smart 'excited' for Atlanta Braves, World Series run

Kirby Smart and the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs are now 7-0 and listed as the favorite to win the College Football Playoff national title, but with the postseason success of the Atlanta Braves, the Bulldogs aren’t even the biggest sports story in Georgia.

The Atlanta Braves on Saturday defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2, and clinched the franchise’s first World Series berth since 1999.

While the Georgia Bulldogs prepare to travel to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators, Smart on Monday expressed his excitement for a fellow Georgia team reaching new levels of success.

“I was excited for the Braves,” Smart said in Georgia’s weekly press conference. “I got to see the end of the game on Saturday night. I got to see the end of that after some of the college games were over, but I’m certainly excited for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. Those guys have done a tremendous job of closing and playing well at the end of the year.”

In the process of making the World Series, the Braves capped off what once seemed to be an impossible postseason run. After superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL early in the season, potential ace Mike Soroka never appeared due to a torn achilles and slugger Marcell Ozuna was put on administrative leave through the postseason, the Braves fell far behind the New York Mets in the National League East. Atlanta’s chances of winning the National League Pennant, according to FanGraphs, dropped to as low as 2 percent.

Then, the Braves made a slew of midseason trades and acquisitions, eventually willing their way into the playoffs despite not posting a regular-season record north of .500 until Aug. 6. The Braves only ended up winning 88 regular-season games, but miraculously, they still emerged as National League Pennant winners over the 107-win San Francisco Giants and 106-win Dodgers.

The Braves have not seen much postseason success in the 2000s. After playing in 29 World Series games in the 1990s, including a 1995 World Series win — the franchise’s only MLB championship since it moved to Atlanta in 1966 — the Braves were one of just ten franchises to play zero World Series games from 2000-20. Suffice to say, it’s been a long time coming for Atlanta’s MLB team.

The National League champion Atlanta Braves and American League champion Houston Astros will begin the World Series on Tuesday night at Minute Made Park.