PHILADELPHIA — After the Atlanta Braves put the champagne on ice a night ago, they finally popped the bottles after they clinched their sixth consecutive National League East division title Wednesday night.
The division clincher felt even sweeter for Braves fans, as they did so on the field of their division rival who axed them from the 2022 postseason -- beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 and taking three of four in the series.
You can watch the moment with the Braves captured the title with the final out here:
In what has been a six-year run of division dominance, Atlanta's 2023 regular season campaign is on pace to surpass the success of the previous five years. It marked the 96th win for Atlanta this year, which is just five shy of their win total from a season ago when they stormed back to defeat the Mets in historic fashion to capture the division crown.
It's Atlanta's 18th NL East title, which is the most in the division's history and seven more than the Phillies' 11 division championships. Overall, it's the Braves' 23rd division championship which is the most in Major League Baseball history, which is quite impressive since they moved to Atlanta in 1969. They have three more than the Los Angeles Dodgers (20) and the New York Yankees (19), a franchise that has been around since 1903.
Braves continue NL East dominance | Celebration photos
The Braves' current impressive run of six straight crowns was last matched by the team when they won a whopping 14 consecutive titles between the NL West ('91-'93) and the NL East ('95-'05), which still stands as the longest such streak in MLB history.
Up next on the Braves to-do list is to secure home field advantage for the entire playoffs, including the World Series. The Braves currently have the best record in baseball at 96-60, which is currently an eight-game lead on the Dodgers in the National League and a six-game lead on the Baltimore Orioles for the best record in baseball.
