Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr., center, celebrates on the field after a baseball game against the Houston Astros as the Braves clinched the NL East title, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)
HOUSTON (AP) — The Atlanta Braves clinched their seventh NL East championship in nine years on Sunday with a 4-2 win over the Astros, and celebrated with hugs and a team photo in championship hats and T-shirts.
Mike Yastrzemski hit a three-run homer during a four-run sixth inning to give the Braves the lead. After Dylan Dodd struck out the side in the ninth to clinch the title, the team ran onto the field to celebrate.
“This is what it’s all about,” Yastrzemski said of the celebration. “It’s so hard to win baseball games in general in the big leagues because everybody is so good. It’s obviously not the end goal, but these are the times that you need to celebrate because it’s hard to get here.”
Under first-year manager Walt Weiss, the Braves have rebounded after missing the playoffs last season with a disappointing 76-86 record and fourth-place finish in the division, snapping a streak of seven straight playoff appearances that included six consecutive NL East titles from 2018-23.
That run was highlighted by beating the Astros to win the 2021 World Series.
“I told these guys winning the division is really tough,” Weiss said. “I know it’s the first step, but it takes six months to do it. It takes everybody, and we used everybody. Virtually everyone that got an opportunity stepped up and helped us win games this year. Special group in that way. Very close group.”
Atlanta has won 24 division titles, tying the Dodgers for the most since the inception of the divisional format in 1969. Atlanta has won the NL East 19 times in 32 seasons.
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