Choose World Series 2021, choose experts, odds with Atlanta one win by one title – The Athletic

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World series game 5: Houston Astros (-115) at Atlanta Braves (-105)

Series: Braves lead 3-1

Series Odds: Astros +400, Braves -500

Game 5 pitching match: Film Festival Frame Valdez (11-6, 3.14 ERA) vs. Bullpen

On lower: 8.5

The brave hearts are back (again) on the home field (again) with consecutive bombs from the bats of Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler to steal Game 4, then seal it with Eddie “Super” Rosario’s web gem. Atlanta can be slowed, but not stopped. The trailblazer faced four rockets and left with pre-loaded bases. From there, Houston was never able to completely break the Braves bullpen.

If you’re sick of seeing the drop in pitching starts on your TV screen after this season, watch Game 5 – with the Astros on the brink of elimination and the Braves up 27 points compared to a World Series title – won’t make you feel any better. It would be another army of Atlanta relievers attacking the Astros. That horse, it is said, left the armory.

Come to think of it, this is a story about horses you were promised. On a Thursday in May 2017. I had a few hours to burn before a late flight out of Atlanta, so another baseball writer (Adam Berry of MLB.com) and I went to a bar Sports bar near the airport. We were sitting at a stop on the Old Highway when I saw something flash in the rearview mirror. I turned my head just in time to catch a chestnut horse galloping past us at a gallop. Sounds as alarming as seeing it. Horses hooves on asphalt; it’s not true.

The horse and its helmetless rider ran red lights, avoiding cars as they crossed a bridge and down the other side, out of sight. It was horrifying. I’m sure once the light turns green we’ll catch the carnage up ahead.

Instead, we found the horse found in the turn lane, waiting to make a legal left turn into the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant.

Moments later, at the sports bar, the bartender asked if we had any questions. We had many, nothing about the menu. We told him what we saw. “Riding on the highway, like, something around here?” I ask. The bartender shook his head. He said he had never seen a horse in the neighborhood. He didn’t seem to believe our story, and we weren’t sure we believed our eyes. We were a little delirious after watching a series of Pirates-Braves that had a delayed game in the rain that ended at 1:52 a.m. and extra time ending the next night. We ordered burgers and beer and tried to forget about it.

As soon as we closed the tab that night, the bartender started laughing. He was just behind us. The horse and its rider had just turned into the parking lot. Now, this isn’t some old-fashioned “a horse goes into a bar” joke. I wouldn’t stoop so low when the stakes are this high. The horse stayed outside. The rider climbed out of the saddle to talk to his friends. For some reason, the scene right now seemed completely normal. We are paralyzed to the point of absurdity. I took a photo for posterity.

Atlanta horse. (Courtesy of Stephen J. Nesbitt)

It was time to go to the airport so we left the bar. I have seen the horse. The horse saw me. I nodded. The horse does nothing. Four years later, nothing about that night makes sense except what the horse did next. As we walked towards the rental car, the horse squealed behind us, and so I turned. The chestnut horse was looking at me with its long face.

“It will be over tonight,” said the horse.

I nodded again. Horses know bits.

“Brave of the year,” said the horse.

– Stephen J. Nesbitt

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