Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Pierce Johnson (38) and catcher Drake Baldwin Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Braves Accomplish Rare Feat With Nationals Win

Originally posted on Atlanta Braves on SI
By Dave Holcomb | Last updated May 14, 2025 11:29 AM ET

The Atlanta Braves have won the first two contests of their four-game set against the Washington Nationals. Tuesday's victory, though, was a lot more significant than guaranteeing a split against a division rival.

With a 5-2 win, the Braves moved to 21-21 this season. They are only the fifth team in MLB history to reach the .500 mark after starting a season 0-7.

Even more impressively, the Braves earned their way back to .500 the second-fastest among those five teams.

According to 92.9 The Game's Joe Patrick, it's been 80 years since a team started 0-7 and got back to the .500 mark fastest than the 2025 Braves.

Of the five times it's happened, only the 1945 Red Sox did it faster, getting to 19-19.
— Joe Patrick (@japatrick200) May 14, 2025

After the 0-7 start, panic set in for Braves Country. But manager Brian Snitker and his players never seemed to waiver. They remained steady even after previously failing to reach .500 against the lowly Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates (twice).

Still, the historic significance of Tuesday's win wasn't lost on even the least experienced player in the Braves clubhouse.

"Huge," catcher Drake Baldwin said when asked about the significance of reaching .500. "Since that 0-7 streak, I think we've been, I don't know what the exact numbers are, but it seems like we started to get going.

"We faced some tough teams early, but getting back to .500, we're right back in it. Continue to do what we're doing, and I think we'll be in a good spot."

Baldwin led the Braves, going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three runs scored, in the 5-2 win.

Of course, the expectation for the 2025 Braves isn't to finish .500. They have a lot more lofty goals, so they can hardly rest on their laurels.

The team, though, is 21-14 since their putrid first week. With that record, the Braves have been one of the best teams in baseball since the first weekend of April.

The Braves can now set their sights on the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. They trail the latter by three games for second place in the NL East.

First, the Braves have to keep beating the Nationals, who will enter Wednesday on a seven-game losing streak.

This article first appeared on Atlanta Braves on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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