The first major league team to move to the rich baseball territory of the Southeast, the Braves struggled in their first decade in Atlanta despite being located in a booming city and establishing a strong regional (later national) broadcasting network. Ten years after their arrival, attendance had sunk to 534,672 and only the club's purchase by Ted Turner kept the franchise in Georgia.

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After thirteen seasons in Milwaukee, the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966. In the club's inaugural season in Alanta, eight regulars tallied double-digit home run totals, led by Hank Aaron's 44 round-trippers. But the pitching wasn't strong enough to push the Braves into the upper echelons of the National League. Despite a 85-77 record and a home attendance of around 1.5 million, the team finished fifth in the league. Former star third baseman Eddie Mathews was traded in December, but the deal didn't improve the team's standing; in 1967, they fell to seventh place with their first losing record since 1952, their last season in Boston.

The emergence of Phil Niekro as an All-Star in 1969 (Niekro went 23-13 with a 2.57 ERA) keyed an amazing resurgence in 1969. Under Lum Harris, the Braves won 93 games and the NL West title, but fell in the minimum three games to the "Miracle" New York Mets in the first-ever NLCS. The disappointing sweep was the last playoff action the club would see until 1982.

In 1973, the Braves became the first team in history with three 40-homer sluggers, as Aaron, Darrell Evans, and Davey Johnson all topped that mark. Niekro still provided some highlights on the mound, but the Braves were fading fast. Hank Aaron, their lone remaining star from the days in Milwaukee, was traded to the Brewers in November 1974 after breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record earlier in the season. From 1975 to 1979, the Braves finished dead last four times, bottoming out with a terrible 61-101 record in 1977.

Manager Bobby Cox suffered through two of those last place finishes (1978 and '79) but led the team out of the cellar in 1980, when the club finished in fourth place with an 81-80 record. A large part of the Braves' success was due to the arrival of Dale Murphy, who quickly became a fan favorite as Atlanta's first homegrown star. Murphy, originally brought up as a catcher, was moved to centerfield in 1980 because of an overly powerful and often erratic throwing arm, and was named NL MVP in 1982 after leading the Braves to the top of the NL West with 36 homers and 109 RBI. That year, third baseman Bob Horner chipped in 32 homers and 97 RBI for new manager Joe Torre; Cox had left before the season to take the helm of the Toronto Blue Jays. But in the NLCS, the Braves were swept yet again -- this time by the St. Louis Cardinals.

"We are the team of the 1980s," proclaimed Ted Turner after the surprising division title, but despite another MVP season by Murphy the Braves slipped to second in 1983. In 1984, the Braves were runners-up again with a 80-82 record. The culprit again was pitching, or, more precisely, the lack thereof; the staff was plagued by inconsistency and injuries, leading to Torre's dismissal after the 1984 season. The Braves plunged towards mediocrity; between 1985 and 1990, their 69-92 finish in 1987 -- 20 1/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants -- was closest the team got to first place in the years between 1985 and 1990.

Perhaps Turner's brash prediction back in 1982 was made a decade too soon. Surprisingly, the Braves beat out Los Angeles in a close race for the NL West in 1991 after finishing sixth the previous season. Part of the reason was the fantastic flock of young players -- especially pitchers -- stockpiled by Bobby Cox since the former manager returned to Atlanta as the Braves' GM in 1986. But Cox's return to the dugout during the 1990 season -- and his uncanny ability to get the most out of his talent -- also played a large part in the Braves' resurgence. After trading fan favorite Murphy to Philadelphia in 1990, Cox handed the right-field job to Dave Justice. Justice was named Rookie of the Year after hitting twenty homers in the final two months of the season. Teammate Tom Glavine (20-11, 2.55) captured the Cy Young Award, and Steve Avery went 18-8 and played a key role in the Braves' NLCS win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But even though the Braves' sterling rotation was already considered among the best the league, the club couldn't surmount the Minnesota Twins in the World Series. A year later, they failed to defeat Toronto after another magnificent season and an exciting and emotional NLCS win. Free-agent acquisition Greg Maddux, the defending NL Cy Young winner, joined the team before the 1993 season and quickly established himself as the ace of the staff en route to his second consecutive Cy Young Award. Slugging first baseman Fred McGriff was also added early in the year to add punch to the lineup. But despite a 104-58 regular-season record, Atlanta managed only two wins against the NL East champion Phillies in a six-game NLCS loss.

After realignment shifted Atlanta to the NL East, the Braves finished second to the Montreal Expos in the strike-shortened 1994 season. But in 1995 the club once again proved themselves to be the class of the National League, winning a league-high 90 games, then taking three of four from the Colorado Rockies in the Division Series and sweeping Cincinnati in the NLCS. Thanks to outstanding pitching and timely hitting, the Braves vanquished the Cleveland Indians in a six-game World Series during which five of the six games were decided by just one run. Thanks to Bobby Cox, Ted Turner had finally brought a championship team to the Deep South. (PB)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » October 6, 1910: Boston (NL) rookie OF Bill Collins hits for the cycle; the next franchise player to match him will be Albert Hall for the Atlanta Braves in 1987. » September 20, 1965: Just 812 see the soon-to-be Atlanta Braves lose to the Phils, 4–1, in Milwaukee. » August 29, 1966: Chicago Cubs veteran Robin Roberts, acquired recently from Houston, wins the final victory of his career, beating the Atlanta Braves, 4–2. Roberts has now beaten the Braves in all three locations: 12–6 vs. Boston: 21–24 vs. Milwaukee: 1–0 vs. Atlanta (as noted by Joe Mackay). Roberts will retire having giving up 505 home runs, the only one above 500. » June 7, 1973: The Yankees trade three players -- 1B Frank Tepedino, OF Wayne Nordhagen and a player to be named -- to the Atlanta Braves for P Pat Dobson. Dobson had struggled in his one year in Atlanta after the Braves had acquired him from the Orioles. The player to be named will turn out to be 2—Alan Closter and Dave Cheadle. The Yanks also purchase 30-year-old Sam McDowell (1–2) from the San Francisco Giants for $100,000+. McDowell, who will later admit to a drinking problem (teammate Dick Radatz later remarked, "We thought he was just stupid. It turned out he was never sober") will pitch two seasons in New York before being released. » August 6, 1973: In Milwaukee, an exhibition game between the Brewers and the Atlanta Braves draws 33,337. The Brewers win, 7–5 in the 4th and last exhibition between the two teams. But the big thrill is provided by Hank Aaron, who homers. » December 4, 1975: Ted Turner enters a tentative purchase agreement to buy the Atlanta Braves. » January 14, 1976: Ted Turner completes the purchase of 100 percent of the Atlanta Braves. » December 5, 1979: A month after being acquired by the Blue Jays, Chris Chambliss goes to the Atlanta Braves with Luis Gomez for Barry Bonnell, Pat Rockett, and Joey McLaughlin. Chambliss will play eight seasons for the Braves. » November 14, 1980: Free-agent OF Claudell Washington signs a 5-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. » January 12, 1981: Gaylord Perry, 42, signs a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. » January 17, 1983: Bob Horner agrees to a 4-year contract with the Atlanta Braves that will pay him up to $6 million, including $400,000 in bonuses if he keeps his weight below 215 pounds. » August 13, 1984: At Cooperstown, the Tigers beat the Atlanta Braves, 7–5. » January 21, 1987: Free agent Gary Roenicke, who spent last season with the Yankees after eight years with the Orioles, signs with the Atlanta Braves. » November 17, 1989: Nick Esasky, who became one of the major leagues’ most coveted free agents after hitting .277 with 30 HRs and 108 RBI for the Red Sox last season, signs a 3-year contract with Atlanta Braves. Esasky lives in Marietta, Georgia. » April 21, 1990: The Reds beat the Braves 8–1 to run their record to 9-0, the best start in club history. The lone Brave score is a home run by Dale Murphy, his 335th as an Atlanta Braves, passing Hank Aaron. The Reds will lose tomorrow to Atlanta, the team with the best (13–0 in 1982) start ever. » June 3, 1991: LHP Brien Taylor of East Carteret HS in Beaufort, NC, is selected by the Yankees as the 1st pick in the major league draft. The Yanks will sign him for $1.55 million—three times the previous high. Arizona State OF Mike Kelly is taken 2nd by the Atlanta Braves. The Indians pick up Manny Ramirez in the 1st round; the Twins take Brad Radke (8th round), the Brewers pick Jeff Cirillo (11th), the Expos take Kirk Rueter (19th), while the Mariners pick Matt Mantei on the 25th. The Mets pick up Jason Isringhausen on the 44th round. » August 21, 1991: After nearly two months off with a chronic backache, David Justice rejoins the Atlanta Braves in time for tonight's twinbill with the Reds. Even without him, the Braves are just two games behind the Dodgers in the National League West. » September 25, 1991: Falcons defensive back Deion Sanders rejoins the Atlanta Braves for the remainder of the season to help the Braves' pennant drive. Sanders still wants to play in the Falcons' game on the 29th against New Orleans. » July 5, 1992: Umpire Bill Hohn ejects an Atlanta Braves fan from the Braves-Cubs game for making obscene gestures. The gestures might have been meant for the Braves, who are shut out 8–0. Greg Maddux goes seven innings for the win over John Smoltz, giving up three runs. The other five come off Juan Berenguer, who lasts 1/3 of an inning. Chicago gets homers from Kal Daniels, Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, and Mark Grace. » July 22, 1997: Greg Maddux parcels out just 78 pitches as the Atlanta Braves defeat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 in the opener of a doubleheader Tuesday. It is the lowest pitch total for a 9-inning complete game since Bob Tewksbury threw 76 for the Cardinals against the Reds on August 29, 1990. Chicago takes the second game 5-4. » May 13, 1998: The Atlanta Braves set an National League record by homering in their 25th straight game, a 10–2 win over the Cardinals. This ties the major league mark held by the 1941 Yankees and the 1994 Tigers. The streak will be stopped by the Cardinals tomorrow. » September 11, 1998: The Florida Marlins lose to the Atlanta Braves, 8–2, to become the 1st World Series champion in history to lose 100 games the next season. » November 1, 1999: The Cubs hire Atlanta Braves coach Don Baylor as their new manager. » November 17, 1999: Atlanta Braves 3B Chipper Jones is named the National League Most Valuable Player. » June 27, 2000: The Atlanta Braves back off from their decision to bar from their chartered flights four team announcers who had raised questions about the catcher's box at Turner Field. After TBS discussed the width of the catcher's box in a game against the Brewers three days ago, Skip Caray, Pete Van Wieren, Joe Simpson and Don Sutton were kicked off a flight to Montreal and had to take a commercial flight. TBS aired a video showing the catcher's box was four to five inches smaller than it was the previous night, when Milwaukee management complained about where Braves catcher Javy Lopez was setting up. Opposing teams have long said that Atlanta pitchers are given the benefit of an extra-wide strike zone, particularly on the outside corners. Catchers who set up wide of the plate can increase the chances of an outside pitch being called a strike. The video was shown after a rare balk call against Fernando Lunar, the Braves catcher. Home-plate umpire John Shulock ruled that Lunar set up with his right foot outside the 43-inch-wide box. The balk led to Milwaukee's first run and a heated argument between Shulock and Braves manager Bobby Cox, who was ejected. Atlanta lost the game 2-1. » June 12, 2001: Gary Sheffield of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first player in major-league history to win three 1-0 games in a season with a home run when he solos to beat the Atlanta Braves, 1-0. He also supplied the only scoring by homering on April two versus Milwaukee and on May seven against Florida. » August 3, 2001: The Brewers edge the visiting Atlanta Braves, 3–2, winning on a wild pitch by Jose Cabrera in the 11th. The Brewers break the two million mark in attendance for just the second time in their franchise history, the first being in 1983; however, the Brewers predecessor in Milwaukee, the Braves, broke two million each season from 1954 to 1957. » June 16, 2002: The Red Sox, behind Derek Lowe, defeat the Atlanta Braves, 6–1. Lowe strikes out 10 to pin the loss on Tom Glavine. For the Braves, it is one of their few losses to American League foes; they will go 15–3 in inter-league games this year.