The Atlanta Braves are now leading the NL East. After a long chase, they have finally passed the New York Mets and now have a 0.5-game lead in the division.
The Braves got off to a rough start to the season but have since bounced back and own the third-best record in baseball. Now, they have the first division lead they have had all season. Their star power has been on full display with guys like Austin Riley and Max Fried but they have also gotten tremendous contributions from rookies Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider and Vaughn Grissom.
According to the Associated Press, Harris explained after defeating the Seattle Mariners to take the division lead that the Braves' main goal was to win the division. The fact that they have fought back to take the lead with roughly a month left in the season shows how badly they want to win.
“It shows how dedicated we are to winning and how much we want to win,” Harris said, via AP. “We were down 10 games at one point and now we’re leading the East. That was our main goal. We got to it and now we’re just trying to keep it.”
Harris' emergence as a top-notch center fielder has been a big reason why the Braves are able to keep winning. The team may be coming off a World Series win but they are taking their title defense one step at a time. “When we left spring training, our No. 1 goal was to win the division,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, via AP.
The Braves can't take their foot off the gas yet, though. The Mets have a very easy schedule the rest of the way and could easily reclaim the lead. Atlanta will have to keep winning if they want to achieve their goal.
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