Braves' bullpen brings humor, late-inning dominance

ATLANTA -- Though relievers don’t always get the credit they deserve, the Braves' bullpen has earned tremendous respect from those who saw the daily impact it made over the course of a 101-win season.

“That group down there, in a way, is our team,” Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “They are very professional and they are accountable for each other. They work hard, but they also have this ability to keep things light and fun. Then, when it comes game time, they are just all over it. To do what they have done all year is special. I’m hoping that trend continues.”

The Braves will attempt to build upon a fifth straight division title when they face the Phillies in the National League Division Series beginning Tuesday at Truist Park. As Atlanta marched to a World Series title last year, it was fortified by a relief corps that became recognized as "The Night Shift."

Well, the Night Shift has assumed a different look, but the pieces are there for this group to once again be highly successful throughout the postseason. The Braves ranked second in the NL with a 3.03 bullpen ERA, trailing only the Dodgers (2.87).

But this group wants to lead the world in both efficiency and fun.

“We’re the people who aren’t in the spotlight, we just want to feel like we can contribute in some way,” Night Shift holdover A.J. Minter said. “We’re always having fun.”

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This applies to the elder members like Darren O’Day, who helped create the personality of the Braves’ bullpen while initially pitching for Atlanta during the 2019 and ’20 seasons. But some of this year’s humor was supplied by newcomers like Jackson Stephens, who embodies the Drive-By Truckers lyric, “A southern man tells better jokes.”

“[Stephens] is a chatter box,” Minter said. “[Jesse] Chavez is another one. He brings a lot of life down to the bullpen for us. I’ll admit, I’m more on the quiet side. We all bring something a little different.”

Somewhere near the end of the '21 season, Luke Jackson seemed to be the first to promote the Night Shift nickname. Though the term could apply to the whole bullpen, most associated it consisting of Jackson, Minter, Will Smith and Tyler Matzek.

Well, Jackson has missed the season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Smith is with the Astros and Matzek has struggled to regain last year’s successful form. So, the group most likely to be referred to as the Night Shift 2.0 would be closer Kenley Jansen, Raisel Iglesias, Collin McHugh, Dylan Lee and Minter.

“Those four guys last year were about as close as anybody I’ve ever been around in a bullpen,” said O’Day, who was around these guys in 2020 and then pitched for the Yankees in 2021, before returning to Atlanta this year. “They were just fun guys. That makes you a better bullpen. I think the thing that stands out about this year’s bullpen is the guys just have kept getting better.”

Though Jackson and Smith were the previous bullpen leaders, this year’s Braves relief corps still has managed to have fun. Jackson has been around and Smith remained this group’s primary leader before being traded to the Astros in August.

“This has been an amazing group,” McHugh said. “The mix of guys we have had has been great. We have one of the older bullpens in the league. We all have a good head on our shoulders. We know what we’re about and we know what we’re trying to do. But at the same time, we’re just looking to have fun down there. I don’t think it would be appropriate for television to have microphones down there, but it would be entertaining.”