Saturday night, Brian McCann's home run against the Houston Astros brought the Atlanta Braves' all-time record to 9,982-9,982, the franchise's first .500 mark in 88 years. Sunday, Atlanta added a 4-1 win to enter the black after a long, long absence.
If you'd told a Braves fan like my granddad in June of 1991 that the organization would have an all-time winning record within just 20 years, he would remind you that baseball remained a month or two away from being invented.
Later this season, the Braves will also become the fifth franchise to post 10,000 wins.
Besides Atlanta, only 11 MLB teams have records better than .500: the Yankees, Giants, Dodgers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Cubs, Indians, Reds, Tigers, White Sox and Pirates. A few more seasons of contemporary Pittsburgh baseball, however, and that list could be down to 10. The Diamondbacks, Blue Jays and Angels are the next three with a chance to join.
We can all take delight in the team with the worst overall record in MLB history: the Phillies, the only franchise with 10,000-plus losses. Then again, the Braves will soon join them in that five-digit club.
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