1995, '57 Braves advance in Dream Bracket 2
ATLANTA -- The 1995 Braves were staring at a potential first-round exit in Dream Bracket 2: Dream Seasons before Javy Lopez drilled what could be the most dramatic homer by an Atlanta player during the computer simulation era.
Lopez’s three-run homer off LaTroy Hawkins with two outs in the ninth inning gave the 1995 Braves a 3-2 win over the 2011 Brewers in Game 7 of their first-round matchup in the National League’s Region 2 bracket.
With the thrilling win, the 1995 Braves will now face the 2004 Cardinals in the second round. The ‘57 Braves also won their first-round matchup against the ‘01 D-backs and will go up against the ‘67 Cardinals in the next round.
The simulated competition, featuring many of the greatest teams in baseball history, is being produced by Out of the Park Baseball 21, MLB‘s most realistic strategy game (PC and Mac).
• Complete Dream Bracket 2 rosters
Here’s a game-by-game look at how the 1995 Braves advanced:
Game 1: Braves 8, Brewers 4
Chipper Jones hit a pair of solo home runs off Yovani Gallardo and scored on David Justice's two-run single in the seventh inning in this series opener. Braves starter Greg Maddux allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings, and Mark Wohlers struck out three in a perfect ninth. After Ryan Braun homered off Alejandro Pena in the eighth, Lopez capped Atlanta’s two-run ninth with an RBI single off Hawkins.
Game 2: Brewers 4, Braves 0
Zack Greinke scattered four hits over six scoreless innings, and Yuniesky Betancourt got the Brewers rolling with his third-inning solo homer off Tom Glavine. Braun paced Milwaukee with three hits, and Prince Fielder drove in a pair of runs. Greinke notched eight strikeouts and did not allow an extra-base hit, while Glavine was charged with three earned runs over five innings.
Game 3: Brewers 13, Braves 3
John Smoltz exited his six-inning outing with a 3-2 lead and then watched the Brewers explode for nine runs in the seventh. After walking the first batter he faced, Greg McMichael allowed a Nyjer Morgan triple and a Braun double ahead of Corey Hart’s three-run homer. Morgan contributed five hits and finished a homer shy of the cycle. Fred McGriff had given the Braves a first-inning lead with a two-run homer off Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum.
Game 4: Braves 10, Brewers 0
Lopez singled home a run in Atlanta’s two-run first and then further damaged Brewers starter Randy Wolf with a two-run homer in the third. While Wolf allowed five runs over just 2 2/3 innings, Steve Avery gave the Braves 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Justice hit a two-run homer in the seventh against Marco Estrada, and Chipper Jones added a two-run double in the eighth.
Game 5: Braves 1, Brewers 0
Maddux surrendered just two hits over eight scoreless innings, and Ryan Klesko provided all the necessary support with his fourth-inning RBI single. Klesko’s game-winner was one of the four hits Gallardo allowed over seven strong innings. Jonathan Lucroy accounted for three of Maddux’s 11 strikeouts.
Game 6: Brewers 12, Braves 11
George Kottaras’ ninth-inning walk-off single ended a crazy game that began with the Brewers scoring four runs off Glavine in the first inning. Mark Kotsay’s double off Wohlers set the stage for Kottaras’ pinch-hit game-winner. Betancourt and Braun both homered as part of four-hit performances. While Milwaukee exited the seventh with a 10-5 lead, things got interesting when Lopez hit a three-run homer in the eighth and Justice hit a game-tying three-run homer off John Axford in the ninth.
Game 7: Braves 3, Brewers 2
The bases were empty before Axford issued consecutive two-out walks to Justice and Klesko in the top of the ninth. This prompted the entry of Hawkins, who got ahead with a 1-2 count before allowing Lopez to line his go-ahead three-run homer over the left-center-field wall. Wohlers worked a scoreless ninth to seal the series for the Braves, who had been held scoreless by Marcum and Francisco Rodriguez through the first eight innings.