On Sunday, Michael Harris Jr. and the Atlanta Braves became the first team in all of Major League Baseball to lock down a playoff berth.
With five consecutive NL East crowns already secured and a sixth well within reach, Harris and the Braves had no time to celebrate and instead had to head up to Philadelphia for a date with fellow MLBbro Taijuan Walker and the second place Philadelphia Phillies.
With their magic number down to six (how poetic), Harris stepped into the box on business in game one of their September 11 doubleheader. Harris went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored in Atlanta’s 10-8 extra inning victory.
Harris did his damage against the Phillies pen, but Walker didn’t fare much better. Walker gave up six hits, three walks and five earned runs in the no decision. If Atlanta is able to take Game 2 of the doubleheader, the Braves will be one win away from the pennant.
All season, the Braves have turned heads with their electric lineup and its propensity to hit the ball out of the ballpark. With so much emphasis on the long ball, we sometimes forget how good the Braves are on the base paths.
Led by probable National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. at the top of the lineup and anchored by MLBbro Money Mike, Atlanta has created a lineup that excels in both categories.
Not only does Atlanta lead all of baseball with 275 home runs, but they are also currently ninth overall in the majors with 116 stolen bases as a team.
As the Braves continue to chase history as a unit, those two in particular are chasing history as individuals. Harris has already eclipsed the 20/20 mark once in his career and has already reached the 20 stolen base mark for the second consecutive year. Just five long balls of 20 homers, he is on the brink of cementing his name amongst an elite batch of young talent.
“Money” Michael Harris II Chasing History Again
There have only been two players to post 20-plus home runs and 20-plus stolen bases in each of their first two seasons in the bigs; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez.
As for Acuna, his recent record-setting 30 homer/60 stolen base achievement gave us here at MLBbro.com flashbacks to one legendary Bro that we all know: Rickey Henderson. While Henderson never eclipsed the 30-home run plateau, there were several seasons where Rickey posted numbers that showcased his historic combination of speed and power.
Let’s take his 1990 MVP season into consideration. Rickey slashed .325/.439/.577 with 28 homers and 65 stolen bases. His .429 on base percentage and 189 OPS+ led all big leaguers that season that also saw him collect an All-Star nod and Silver Slugger Award.
With Harris establishing himself amongst the young elite as Acuna continues to cultivate a play style cemented by the great Henderson, the Braves will be deadly come postseason. For the second time in three years, the World Series may come through Atlanta.
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