The stage is set for your Atlanta Braves to begin their postseason march to a second World Series title in three years. They will open the National League Division Series (NLDS) on Saturday against a familiar foe in the Philadelphia Phillies.

So much is at stake for a team many baseball experts deem as the best team in baseball this year with one of the greatest offensive lineups in baseball history.

Another series loss in the NLDS would be so disheartening considering the historical regular season the Braves just completed.

Ronald Acuna Jr. just tallied the first 40-70 season that should (with all due respect to Mookie Betts) garner him the league Most Valuable Player award, joining the likes of Dale Murphy, Terry Pendleton, Chipper Jones and Freddie Freeman as the only Atlanta Braves to accomplish the feat.

Matt Olson just had the greatest power season of any Atlanta Braves player, leading baseball with 54 homers and 137 RBIs, both franchise records. He was also the first Brave to lead MLB in both categories since 1957.

The Braves also tied the team home run record in a season on the final day of the season when Marcell Ozuna went yard and gave the Braves 307 on the season; tied with the 2019 Minnesota Twins.

But as we are all too familiar with, what teams accomplish during the regular season has little bearing on what happens in October. Just look to last year’s Braves team that lost to the Phillies in the NLDS. How about the 2021 postseason when an 88-win Braves dethroned the favorite Dodgers en route to the championship?

Somehow in baseball playoffs, the betting favorite seldom wins the title. It’s not like the NFL or NBA playoffs where the teams that are expected to win usually do.

In baseball, a team can ride a wave of momentum or one player’s heroics that can be too much to overcome. Madison Bumgarner was a one-man show in leading the San Fransisco Giants to the World Series title in 2014.

While the Braves were the better team with the better record, the Phillies are playing just as hot over the last month. They creamed the Marlins in the Wild Card Round. It would not be shocking if the Phillies ended the Braves’ season for the second year in a row. It’s baseball. It happens. It would be disappointing if it happened again.

What will Braves fans remember from this season if it does happen? Probably not the home run records. Probably just another early playoff exit. But unfortunately, that’s October baseball.