MLB Playoffs preview: Reds and Braves battle to advance to NLDS

The Reds begin the MLB Playoffs with a trip to Atlanta.

Someone is going to the next round of the MLB Playoffs for the first time in a very long while. The Cincinnati Reds have not advanced since a 1995 NLDS sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The big left-hander David Wells picked up the victory and the “Cowboy” Jeff Brantley recorded the final out of the Reds 10-1 thrashing of the Dodgers that day. Since that time they are a dismal 2-11 in postseason play.

However, October baseball has treated the Braves just as rudely over the past 19 years. Atlanta has not won a playoff series since 2001 and their postseason record of 12-25 over that span hardly inspires much confidence in the Braves faithful.

The last time the Braves clinched a series victory in the MLB Playoffs they were still basking in the glory of an all-star pitching staff that featured three Hall of Famers in Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz.

In other words, it’s been an incredibly long time since either fanbase had anything to celebrate in October. This will be the second time the Reds and Braves have met in the playoffs. Following the Reds aforementioned dismantling of the Dodgers in the 1995 postseason, the Redlegs ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta broke Reds Country’s hearts in the 1995 NLCS by winning each of the first two games of the series in extra innings at Riverfront Stadium. Once the scene shifted to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the Braves overwhelmed the Reds, winning the next two contests and sweeping the series en route to their 1995 World Series victory over the Cleveland Indians.

What happens next is anyone’s guess. For generational franchise players like the Reds’ Joey Votto and the Braves’ Freddie Freeman, playoff success is the only item missing from their résumés.  Whichever club comes out on top, it’s safe to assume a huge weight will be lifted off the victorious franchise’s shoulders.