ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves went up early in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night against the Houston Astros, but it's not all been smooth.
Despite home runs from Jorge Soler and Adam Duvall that have fueled a 5-0 lead to start the game, the team is now dealing with an unfortunate break: Starting pitcher Charlie Morton, one of their most seasoned playoff performers, left the game in the third inning with an apparent leg injury.
Luckily for Atlanta, they're in pretty good hands with the pitcher they've turned the game over to.
Left hander A.J. Minter has been rock steady for the Braves in the 2021 postseason - to this point, he hasn't allowed a single run in the playoffs.
Prior to the World Series, the 28-year-old pitched 7 1/3 innings, without getting touched. That has included 11 strikeouts and just two walks, spread out across five appearances that have been crucial to the Braves' success in marching to the Fall Classic.
His ability to go longer than one inning and pick the team up in a pinch has been invaluable.
Minter has been with the team for a while now, debuting back in 2017 at the age of 23. In five seasons with the Braves he has compiled a 3.71 ERA in nearly 180 innings, with 211 strikeouts.
With the team now in need of a steady hand to bridge the middle innings of this game, they should feel pretty good about having Minter on the mound.
UPDATE: It was a very strong effort from Minter, who was only touched up in part due to a misplay by Dansby Swanson on a double play ball.
