Atlanta Braves

A Major League Baseball team based in [Atlanta, Georgia]? USA.

Founded: 1871 in Boston as a National Association club. The club became a charter member of the National League in 1876 and has remained in the league without a break since then.

Formerly known as: Boston Braves, 1912-1952. Milwaukee Braves, 1953-1965. Prior to 1912, the team had several unofficial nicknames: "Red Stockings" in the 1870s and 1880s; "Beaneaters" in the 1890s and early 1900s; "Doves" (when the Dovey family owned the franchise, 1907-1910) and "Rustlers" (when Wiliam Russell owned the franchise, 1911).

Following the 1935 season, after enduring bankruptcy and a series of poor seasons, new owner Bob Quinn asked a team of sportswriters to choose a new nickname, to change the team's luck. The sportswriters chose "Bees", a name which never really caught on; even Quinn refused to use it. The team switched back to "Braves" in 1941.

Home ballpark: Turner Field, Atlanta

Uniform colors:

Logo design:

League pennants won: NA: 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875. NL: 1877, 1878, 1883, 1892, 1893, 1897, 1898, 1914, 1948, 1957, 1958, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1999

World Series championships won: 1914, 1957, 1995.

In 2001, Atlanta won the National League East division, swept the divisional playoff series against the Houston Astros, then lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series.

Franchise history

The Boston years

the 1914 "Miracle Braves"

In 1948 the team again won the pennant, behind the pitching of [Warren Spahn]? and [Johnny Sain]? who won 39 games between the them. The remainder of the rotation was so thin that in September the Boston Post journalist Gerald Hern characterised them by the poem

First we'll use Spahn

then we'll use Sain

Then an off day

followed by rain

Back will come Spahn

followed by Sain

And followed

we hope

by two days of rain.

The poem received such a wide audience that the sentiment, usually now paraphrased as "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain", entered the baseball vocabulary.

The Milwaukee years

Their two pennants not withstanding, the Braves term in Boston were not a succesful time. Attendances steadily dwindled until, on March 13 1953, then-owner Lou Perini announced he was moving the team to Milwaukee?. As the 1950s the reinvigorated Braves were increasingly competitive. Sluggers [Eddie Mathews]? and [Hank Aaron]? drove the offense (they would hit a combined 863 home runs as Braves), whilst Spahn and [Lew Burdette]? anchored the rotation. In 1957, it culminated in their first World Series win for over 40 years, defeating the New York Yankees of Berra?, Mantle? and Ford?. Burdette, the Series MVP, threw three complete game victories, giving up only two earned runs.

Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn

The Atlanta years

Hank Aaron's 715th home run

Captain Outrageous (Ted Turner)

Dale Murphy, 1980s

The period of dominance in the 1990s: Glavine, Smoltz, Maddux, et al.

Players of note

Baseball Hall of Famers: [Hank Aaron]?, [Rabbit Maranville]?, [Eddie Mathews]?, [Warren Spahn]?

Current stars: Tom Glavine (Cy Young Award 1991, 1998), Greg Maddux (Cy Young Award 1993, 1994, 1995), John Smoltz (Cy Young Award 1996)

Not to be forgotten: Dale Murphy (NL MVP 1982 and 1983), Terry Pendleton (NL MVP 1991)

Retired numbers: #42 (Jackie Robinson)