Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Will Smith and catcher Travis d’Arnaud. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
The Atlanta Braves are just one game away from the World Series but Bob Nightengale’s tweet about champagne on ice feels like a jinx.
With a 9-2 victory over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS, Atlanta is on the verge of going to the World Series.
There will be celebrations and hope of bigger things to come. But there will also be a sense of caution, especially when people like Bob Nightengale are out there tweeting like the series is done and dusted.
Bob Nightengale’s tweet feels like a jinx on the Braves
“Put the champagne on ice,” Nightengale tweeted in the ninth inning when Eddie Rosario hit his second home run to put the game out of reach.
The thing is, the Braves have been here before. In fact, this series has played out almost identically to last year. Atlanta won the first two games. They lost the third. Then they blitzed the Dodgers with a 10-2 win, putting themselves on the brink of the World Series.
LA went on to win the next three games, overturning the 3-1 deficit for just the 14th time in MLB postseason history.
Is it unlikely the Dodgers will come back again? Of course. But it’s far from a done deal, especially when you’re talking about sports psychology. Brian Snitker and company have demons to overcome. All Dave Roberts and his team need is a spark of life for the momentum to flip. This series is one moment away from the mere whisper of “here we go again” crushing Atlanta’s plans.
The Braves know better than anyone that there is still a long way to go before they get to even think about champagne.