2011 Atlanta Braves

2011 Atlanta Braves / Franchise: Atlanta Braves / BR Team Page

Record: 89-73, Finished 2nd in NL Eastern Division (2011 NL)

General Manager: Frank Wren

Managed by Fredi Gonzalez

Coaches: Alan Butts, Roger McDowell, Larry Parrish, Terry Pendleton, Eddie Perez, Brian Snitker and Carlos Tosca

Ballpark: Turner Field

History, Comments, Contributions

On June 11, 2011, the 2011 Atlanta Braves reached 9,982-9,982 all-time, dating back to their days in Boston, MA. It marked the first time the franchise had been at .500 since 1923, ending 88 years of the franchise having a losing record. On July 15th, they won the 10,000th game in franchise history in beating the Washington Nationals, 10-1; they became the third franchise to reach the milestone, after the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.

Under first-year manager Fredi Gonzalez, the Braves seemed headed back to the postseason as the National League Wild Card, but they collapsed in September and were passed by the St. Louis Cardinals on the last day of the season, when Rookie of the Year closer Craig Kimbrel was charged with a rare blown save; the Cards then went on to confound all the experts by winning a World Series title. Another young reliever, Jonny Venters, had an outstanding season, while rookie 1B Freddie Freeman showed a lot of promise as well. But the most remarkable feat belonged to 2B Dan Uggla, who managed a 33-game hitting streak in the middle of a season during which he batted only .233.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Chipper Jones, Jair Jurrjens, Craig Kimbrel, Brian McCann and Jonny Venters
• NL Rookie of the Year Award: Craig Kimbrel
• NL Silver Slugger Award: Brian McCann (C)
• 2011 Topps All-Star Rookie Team: Craig Kimbrel (RP)

Further Reading

• Associated Press: "Schuerholz becomes team president of Braves", Reuters, October 11, 2007
• Paul Kocak: Baseball's Starry Night: Reliving Major League Baseball's 2011 Wild Card Night of Shock and Awe, Digitature, New York, NY, 2012. ISBN 0615622305

2011 MLB season by team