1996 Atlanta Braves season

1996 Atlanta Braves
1996 Atlanta Braves
National League champions; National League East champions
League	National League
Division	East
Ballpark	Fulton County Stadium
City	Atlanta
Record	96–66 (.593)
Divisional place	1st
Owners	Ted Turner
General managers	John Schuerholz
Managers	Bobby Cox
Television	WTBS; TBS Superstation; (Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton, Joe Simpson); SportSouth; (Tim Brando, Ernie Johnson, Ernie Johnson, Jr.)
Radio	WSB (AM); (Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton, Joe Simpson)
	Seasons
	Seasons

The 1996 Atlanta Braves season was the 126th season in the history of the franchise and 31st season in the city of Atlanta. They had a regular season record of 96–66 and reached the World Series, where they lost to the underdog New York Yankees in six games, failing to defend their championship in 1995. Heavily favored and seen as one of the greatest Braves teams in history and despite taking a 2–0 lead, the Braves unexpectedly lost the next 4 games. This World Series appearance was their fourth appearance in the last 5 years as a franchise, excluding the strike-abbreviated 1994 season. Atlanta won its seventh division title (second in the National League East, the other five in the NL West) and its fifth in six years. In the previous round, Atlanta completed a miraculous comeback. After trailing in the NLCS to St. Louis three games to one, Atlanta outscored St. Louis 32–1 in games five through seven to complete the comeback.

The 1996 season was the Braves' final season at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, with Game 5 of the 1996 World Series being the last game played in the stadium. Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium also served as a venue during the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, prompting the Braves to go on an extended road trip as their stadium hosted the baseball competition. Following the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Paralympics, Centennial Olympic Stadium was reconstructed as planned into Turner Field, which would become the home of the Braves for the next 20 seasons. This was also the final season for Ted Turner as the owner of the Braves. The team would be acquired (along with TBS) by Time Warner in October 1996, following the World Series.

Atlanta had an excellent pitching staff, which set an MLB record with 1,245 strikeouts, besting the 1969 Houston Astros. The record was surpassed by 4 teams in 2001.^[1]^[2]

Offseason

January 3, 1996: Jerome Walton was signed as a free agent.^[3]
January 9, 1996: Mike Kelly was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named later and Chad Fox. The Reds sent Ray King (June 11, 1996) to the Braves to complete the trade.^[4]
March 31, 1996: Mike Bielecki was signed as a free agent.^[5]

Regular season

Season standings

NL East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
	96	66	.593	—	56‍–‍25	40‍–‍41
Montreal Expos	88	74	.543	8	50‍–‍31	38‍–‍43
Florida Marlins	80	82	.494	16	52‍–‍29	28‍–‍53
New York Mets	71	91	.438	25	42‍–‍39	29‍–‍52
Philadelphia Phillies	67	95	.414	29	35‍–‍46	32‍–‍49

Record vs. opponents

1996 National League record Source: MLB Standings Grid – 1996
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	COL	FLA	HOU	LAD	MTL	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL
	—	7–5	7–5	5–7	6–7	6–6	5–7	10–3	7–6	9–4	9–3	9–4	7–5	9–4
Chicago	5–7	—	5–8	5–7	6–6	5–8	8–5	6–6	7–5	7–6	4–9	6–6	7–5	5–8
Cincinnati	5–7	8–5	—	7–6	3–9	7–6	4–8	3–9	6–6	10–2	5–8	9–3	9–4	5–8
Colorado	7–5	7–5	6–7	—	5–8	8–5	6–7	3–9	7–5	6–6	7–5	8–5	5–8	8–4
Florida	7–6	6–6	9–3	8–5	—	7–5	6–7	5–8	7–6	6–7	5–7	3–9	5–7	6–6
Houston	6–6	8–5	6–7	5–8	5–7	—	6–6	4–9	8–4	10–2	8–5	6–6	8–4	2–11
Los Angeles	7–5	5–8	8–4	7–6	7–6	6–6	—	9–3	8–4	7–6	6–6	5–8	7–6	8–4
Montreal	3–10	6–6	9–3	9–3	8–5	9–4	3–9	—	7–6	6–7	7–5	4–8	9–4	8–4
New York	6–7	5–7	6–6	5–7	6–7	4–8	4–8	6–7	—	7–6	8–5	3–10	6–6	5–7
Philadelphia	4–9	6–7	2–10	6–6	7–6	2–10	6–7	7–6	6–7	—	7–5	4–8	6–6	4–8
Pittsburgh	3–9	9–4	8–5	5–7	7–5	5–8	6–6	5–7	5–8	5–7	—	4–9	8–4	3–10
San Diego	4–9	6–6	3–9	5–8	9–3	6–6	8–5	8–4	10–3	8–4	9–4	—	11–2	4–8
San Francisco	5–7	5–7	4–9	8–5	7–5	4–8	6–7	4–9	6–6	6–6	4–8	2–11	—	7–6
St. Louis	4–9	8–5	8–5	4–8	6–6	11–2	4–8	4–8	7–5	8–4	10–3	8–4	6–7	—

Game log

1996 Game Log: 96–66 (Home: 56–25; Away: 40–41)

April: 16–11 (Home: 8–6; Away: 8–5)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
1	April 1	Giants	10–8	Maddux (1–0)	Leiter	Borbon (1)	48,961	1–0
2	April 3	Giants	15–2	Glavine (1–0)	VanLandingham	—	28,728	2–0
3	April 4	Giants	1–7	Watson	Smoltz (0–1)	—	30,271	2–1
4	April 5	Cardinals	4–5 (14)	Bailey	Bielecki (0–1)	Eckersley	31,071	2–2
5	April 6	Cardinals	2–3 (12)	Parrett	Clontz (0–1)	—	34,649	2–3
6	April 7	Cardinals	13–3	Schmidt (1–0)	Busby	—	28,498	3–3
7	April 8	@ Dodgers	0–1	Nomo	Glavine (1–1)	—	53,180	3–4
8	April 9	@ Dodgers	3–1	Smoltz (1–1)	Astacio	Wohlers (1)	35,570	4–4
9	April 10	@ Dodgers	2–9	Candiotti	Avery (0–1)	—	48,194	4–5
10	April 11	@ Padres	1–2	Ashby	Maddux (1–1)	Hoffman	19,047	4–6
11	April 12	@ Padres	5–3	Schmidt (2–0)	Bergman	Wohlers (2)	25,747	5–6
12	April 13	@ Padres	2–6	Hamilton	Glavine (1–2)	Bochtler	45,250	5–7
13	April 14	@ Padres	4–0	Smoltz (2–1)	Valenzuela	—	45,014	6–7
14	April 16	Marlins	5–2	Avery (1–1)	Brown	Wohlers (3)	26,625	7–7
15	April 17	Marlins	4–2	Maddux (2–1)	Burkett	Wohlers (4)	28,884	8–7
16	April 18	Marlins	3–5	Hammond	Glavine (1–3)	Nen	25,300	8–8
17	April 19	Padres	7–1	Smoltz (3–1)	Hamilton	—	27,375	9–8
18	April 20	Padres	6–5	McMichael (1–0)	Bochtler	Wohlers (5)	31,893	10–8
19	April 21	Padres	1–2 (15)	Worrell	Thobe (0–1)	Bochtler	28,829	10–9
20	April 22	Dodgers	4–1	Maddux (3–1)	Candiotti	—	33,080	11–9
21	April 23	Dodgers	2–3	Osuna	Clontz (0–2)	Worrell	30,475	11–10
22	April 24	@ Giants	8–3	Smoltz (4–1)	Watson	—	13,296	12–10
23	April 25	@ Giants	0–8	Gardner	Schmidt (2–1)	—	12,436	12–11
24	April 26	@ Cardinals	6–1	Avery (2–1)	Benes	—	34,598	13–11
25	April 27	@ Cardinals	7–2	Maddux (4–1)	Osborne	—	20,757	14–11
26	April 29	@ Cardinals	4–1	Glavine (2–3)	Stottlemyre	Wohlers (6)	25,452	15–11
27	April 30	@ Astros	7–5	Smoltz (5–1)	Jones	McMichael (1)	17,795	16–11

May: 19–6 (Home: 12–3; Away: 7–3)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
28	May 1	@ Astros	0–3	Hampton	Avery (2–2)	—	18,546	16–12
29	May 3	Phillies	3–6	Mulholland	Maddux (4–2)	Bottalico	39,697	16–13
30	May 4	Phillies	6–3	McMichael (2–0)	Ryan	Clontz (1)	44,429	17–13
31	May 5	Phillies	11–8	Smoltz (6–1)	Williams	—	35,471	18–13
32	May 6	Rockies	4–1	Avery (3–2)	Thompson	—	28,725	19–13
33	May 7	Rockies	6–5 (10)	Clontz (1–2)	Leskanic	—	29,976	20–13
34	May 8	Rockies	5–1	Glavine (3–3)	Reynoso	—	29,363	21–13
35	May 10	@ Phillies	11–0	Smoltz (7–1)	Mulholland	—	27,068	22–13
36	May 11	@ Phillies	11–3	Avery (4–2)	Mimbs	—	22,823	23–13
37	May 12	@ Phillies	0–6	Grace	Maddux (4–3)	—	32,314	23–14
38	May 13	Pirates	9–3	Glavine (4–3)	Darwin	—	28,583	24–14
39	May 14	Pirates	7–3	Smoltz (8–1)	Wagner	—	28,175	25–14
40	May 15	Pirates	0–3	Neagle	Avery (4–3)	—	30,917	25–15
41	May 17	Reds	8–2	Maddux (5–3)	Smiley	—	40,612	26–15
42	May 18	Reds	2–1	Clontz (2–2)	Ruffin	Wohlers (7)	49,553	27–15
43	May 19	Reds	9–5	Smoltz (9–1)	Schourek	Wohlers (8)	41,153	28–15
44	May 20	Cubs	18–1	Avery (5–3)	Castillo	—	29,984	29–15
45	May 21	Cubs	2–4	Telemaco	Wohlers (0–1)	Patterson	31,045	29–16
46	May 22	Cubs	9–4	Glavine (5–3)	Bullinger	—	33,186	30–16
47	May 24	@ Pirates	5–3	Smoltz (10–1)	Darwin	Wohlers (9)	20,238	31–16
48	May 25	@ Pirates	2–6	Neagle	Avery (5–4)	—	29,273	31–17
49	May 26	@ Pirates	6–3 (13)	Wade (1–0)	Miceli	Bielecki (1)	33,085	32–17
50	May 27	@ Cubs	9–1	Glavine (6–3)	Telemaco	—	33,070	33–17
51	May 29	@ Cubs	2–0	Smoltz (11–1)	Trachsel	—	30,601	34–17
52	May 31	@ Reds	9–1	Avery (6–4)	Schourek	—	33,455	35–17

June: 15–13 (Home: 11–6; Away: 4–7)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
53	June 1	@ Reds	2–3	Portugal	Maddux (5–4)	Brantley	34,023	35–18
54	June 2	@ Reds	6–2	Glavine (7–3)	Smiley	—	23,482	36–18
55	June 3	Mets	5–4	Clontz (3–2)	Macdonald	Wohlers (10)	30,162	37–18
56	June 4	Mets	6–12	Wilson	Schmidt (2–2)	—	32,199	37–19
57	June 5	Mets	8–6	McMichael (3–0)	Mlicki	Wohlers (11)	31,998	38–19
58	June 7	@ Rockies	8–19	Painter	Bielecki (0–2)	—	48,027	38–20
59	June 8	@ Rockies	12–13	Holmes	McMichael (3–1)	Ruffin	48,015	38–21
60	June 9	@ Rockies	8–3	Smoltz (12–1)	Thompson	—	48,036	39–21
61	June 10	@ Mets	3–8	Jones	Avery (6–5)	—	17,439	39–22
62	June 11	@ Mets	4–3 (13)	Borbon (1–0)	Byrd	Wade (1)	19,256	40–22
63	June 12	@ Mets	2–3	Clark	Maddux (5–5)	Franco	18,896	40–23
64	June 13	Dodgers	3–6	Valdez	Glavine (7–4)	Worrell	39,463	40–24
65	June 14	Dodgers	3–1	Smoltz (13–1)	Astacio	Wohlers (12)	45,389	41–24
66	June 15	Dodgers	2–6	Nomo	Avery (6–6)	Worrell	49,726	41–25
67	June 16	Dodgers	2–3	Candiotti	Schmidt (2–3)	Worrell	44,784	41–26
68	June 17	Padres	9–3	Maddux (6–5)	Bergman	—	32,934	42–26
69	June 18	Padres	5–3	Clontz (4–2)	Hamilton	Wohlers (13)	32,730	43–26
70	June 19	Padres	5–1	Smoltz (14–1)	Tewksbury	—	34,823	44–26
71	June 21	Giants	8–7 (11)	Wade (2–0)	Beck	—	38,432	45–26
72	June 22	Giants	6–0	Maddux (7–5)	Gardner	—	49,365	46–26
73	June 23	Giants	1–0	Glavine (8–4)	Fernandez	Wohlers (14)	35,645	47–26
74	June 24	Cardinals	2–9	Benes	Smoltz (14–2)	—	31,971	47–27
75	June 25	Cardinals	4–3	Schmidt (3–3)	Stottlemyre	Wohlers (15)	30,942	48–27
76	June 26	Cardinals	7–11	Benes	Avery (6–7)	—	31,191	48–28
77	June 27	Cardinals	3–0	Maddux (8–5)	Morgan	Wohlers (16)	32,243	49–28
78	June 28	@ Marlins	0–2	Leiter	Glavine (8–5)	Nen	30,661	49–29
79	June 29	@ Marlins	3–5	Rapp	Smoltz (14–3)	—	40,952	49–30
80	June 30	@ Marlins	5–4	Clontz (5–2)	Burkett	Wohlers (17)	34,023	50–30

July: 15–11 (Home: 7–3; Away: 8–8)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
81	July 1	@ Expos	7–2	Avery (7–7)	Rueter	—	34,116	51–30
82	July 2	@ Expos	1–5	Cormier	Maddux (8–6)	—	20,075	51–31
83	July 3	@ Expos	3–1	Glavine (9–5)	Scott	Wohlers (18)	26,837	52–31
84	July 4	Astros	2–5	Reynolds	Smoltz (14–4)	Hernandez	49,060	52–32
85	July 5	Astros	1–7	Kile	Schmidt (3–4)	—	36,896	52–33
86	July 6	Astros	4–2	Bielecki (1–2)	Hampton	—	41,619	53–33
87	July 7	Astros	9–1	Maddux (9–6)	Wall	—	28,716	54–33
88	July 11	Marlins	8–9	Burkett	Avery (7–8)	Nen	33,208	54–34
89	July 12	Marlins	6–3	Glavine (10–5)	Leiter	Wohlers (19)	32,517	55–34
90	July 13	Marlins	3–0	Smoltz (15–4)	Brown	—	36,953	56–34
91	July 14	Marlins	15–10	McMichael (4–1)	Perez	—	31,134	57–34
92	July 15	Expos	5–4	Maddux (10–6)	Manuel	Wohlers (20)	32,708	58–34
93	July 16	Expos	3–2	Wohlers (1–1)	Scott	—	31,334	59–34
94	July 18	@ Astros	3–2	Smoltz (16–4)	Jones	Wohlers (21)	35,822	60–34
95	July 19	@ Astros	6–7	Kile	Woodall (0–1)	Wagner	39,090	60–35
96	July 20	@ Astros	1–2	Wagner	Maddux (10–7)	—	49,674	60–36
97	July 21	@ Astros	3–4 (10)	Hernandez	McMichael (4–2)	—	45,561	60–37
98	July 22	@ Cardinals	8–6	McMichael (5–2)	Mathews	Wohlers (22)	36,215	61–37
99	July 23	@ Cardinals	3–2	Smoltz (17–4)	Stottlemyre	Wohlers (23)	35,520	62–37
100	July 24	@ Cardinals	4–1	Wade (3–0)	Benes	McMichael (2)	35,411	63–37
101	July 25	@ Giants	3–4	Watson	Maddux (10–8)	Beck	16,871	63–38
102	July 26	@ Giants	2–1	Glavine (11–5)	Leiter	Wohlers (24)	17,560	64–38
103	July 27	@ Giants	5–7	Gardner	Woodall (0–2)	Beck	38,761	64–39
104	July 28	@ Giants	3–10	Estes	Smoltz (17–5)	Beck	34,525	64–40
105	July 30	@ Padres	1–2	Valenzuela	Maddux (10–9)	Hoffman	24,110	64–41
106	July 31	@ Padres	7–4	Glavine (12–5)	Tewksbury	Wohlers (25)	24,254	65–41

August: 19–10 (Home: 10–5; Away: 9–5)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
107	August 1	@ Padres	3–2	Bielecki (2–2)	Worrell	Wohlers (26)	24,089	66–41
108	August 2	@ Dodgers	1–2	Radinsky	Smoltz (17–6)	Guthrie	49,012	66–42
109	August 3	@ Dodgers	5–3 (18)	Woodall (1–2)	Martinez	—	42,575	67–42
110	August 4	@ Dodgers	6–4	Borbon (2–0)	Guthrie	Wohlers (27)	45,903	68–42
111	August 6	Phillies	10–4	Bielecki (3–2)	Springer	—	32,036	69–42
112	August 7	Phillies	14–1 (8)	Smoltz (18–6)	Munoz	—	29,920	70–42
113	August 8	Phillies	1–4	Beech	Maddux (10–10)	Bottalico	32,401	70–43
114	August 9	Rockies	4–6	Wright	Glavine (12–6)	Ruffin	41,275	70–44
115	August 10	Rockies	7–9 (10)	Reed	Wohlers (1–2)	Ruffin	46,064	70–45
116	August 11	Rockies	4–1	Smoltz (19–6)	Freeman	Wohlers (28)	32,961	71–45
117	August 13	@ Phillies	2–0	Maddux (11–10)	Hunter	—	—	72–45
118	August 13	@ Phillies	5–2	Hartgraves (1–0)	Beech	Wohlers (29)	25,196	73–45
119	August 14	@ Phillies	1–4	West	Glavine (12–7)	Bottalico	28,206	73–46
120	August 15	@ Phillies	8–5	Wade (4–0)	Schilling	—	28,011	74–46
121	August 16	Pirates	5–4	Smoltz (20–6)	Neagle	Wohlers (30)	39,210	75–46
122	August 17	Pirates	7–1	Bielecki (4–2)	Ruebel	—	49,024	76–46
123	August 18	Pirates	2–1 (14)	Borowski (1–0)	Cordova	—	31,587	77–46
124	August 20	Reds	4–1	Glavine (13–7)	Burba	Wohlers (31)	32,658	78–46
125	August 21	Reds	4–3	Borbon (3–0)	Brantley	—	29,213	79–46
126	August 22	Reds	2–3 (13)	Carrasco	Borowski (1–1)	Brantley	31,729	79–47
127	August 23	Cubs	4–3	Maddux (12–10)	Trachsel	Wohlers (32)	38,210	80–47
128	August 24	Cubs	6–5	Clontz (6–2)	Casian	—	46,804	81–47
129	August 25	Cubs	2–3	Foster	Wohlers (1–3)	Wendell	35,176	81–48
130	August 27	@ Pirates	2–3	Neagle	Smoltz (20–7)	Plesac	14,603	81–49
131	August 28	@ Pirates	9–4	Wade (5–0)	Loaiza	—	14,591	82–49
132	August 29	@ Pirates	5–1	Maddux (13–10)	Lieber	Wohlers (33)	12,101	83–49
133	August 30	@ Cubs	2–3	Foster	Glavine (13–8)	Patterson	—	83–50
134	August 30	@ Cubs	6–5	Borowski (2–1)	Bottenfield	Wohlers (34)	31,548	84–50
135	August 31	@ Cubs	0–12	Castillo	Neagle (0–1)	Adams	38,691	84–51

September: 12–15 (Home: 8–2; Away: 4–13)

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
136	September 1	@ Cubs	1–2 (12)	Campbell	Borowski (2–2)	—	40,192	84–52
137	September 2	@ Reds	6–7	Shaw	McMichael (5–3)	Brantley	20,879	84–53
138	September 3	@ Reds	1–5	Burba	Bielecki (4–3)	Shaw	18,844	84–54
139	September 4	@ Reds	6–12	Salkeld	Glavine (13–9)	—	19,532	84–55
140	September 6	Mets	8–7	Wohlers (2–3)	Henry	—	37,660	85–55
141	September 7	Mets	6–1	Smoltz (21–7)	Jones	—	47,130	86–55
142	September 8	Mets	2–6	Clark	Maddux (13–11)	—	39,045	86–56
143	September 10	@ Rockies	8–9	Holmes	Clontz (6–3)	Ruffin	48,051	86–57
144	September 11	@ Rockies	5–6	Wright	Neagle (0–2)	Swift	48,091	86–58
145	September 12	@ Rockies	8–16	Burke	Smoltz (21–8)	—	48,052	86–59
146	September 13	@ Mets	4–6	Dipoto	Borowski (2–3)	Wallace	17,331	86–60
147	September 14	@ Mets	5–6 (12)	Wallace	Borowski (2–4)	—	22,857	86–61
148	September 15	@ Mets	3–2	Glavine (14–9)	Wilson	Wohlers (35)	23,718	87–61
149	September 16	@ Mets	5–2	Neagle (1–2)	Harnisch	—	14,980	88–61
150	September 17	Astros	5–4	Smoltz (22–8)	Kile	Wohlers (36)	32,109	89–61
151	September 18	Astros	6–2	Maddux (14–11)	Hampton	—	29,885	90–61
152	September 19	Expos	1–5	Urbina	Wohlers (2–4)	—	37,193	90–62
153	September 20	Expos	3–2	Glavine (15–9)	Leiper	Wohlers (37)	46,260	91–62
154	September 21	Expos	5–4	Neagle (2–2)	Daal	Wohlers (38)	49,285	92–62
155	September 22	Expos	8–2	Smoltz (23–8)	Fassero	—	49,238	93–62
156	September 23	Expos	3–1	Maddux (15–11)	Leiter	Bielecki (2)	49,083	94–62
157	September 24	@ Marlins	1–12	Rapp	Avery (7–9)	—	18,245	94–63
158	September 25	@ Marlins	0–3	Brown	Glavine (15–10)	Nen	29,178	94–64
159	September 26	@ Marlins	1–7	Leiter	Neagle (2–3)	—	25,553	94–65
160	September 27	@ Expos	6–4	Smoltz (24–8)	Fassero	Wohlers (39)	33,133	95–65
161	September 28	@ Expos	4–0	Woodall (2–2)	Leiter	—	34,125	96–65
162	September 29	@ Expos	3–6	Alvarez	Avery (7–10)	Rojas	30,646	96–66

Legend: = Win = Loss
Bold = Braves team member

Postseason Game log

1996 Postseason Game Log

National League Division Series: 3–0

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
1	October 2	@ Dodgers	2–1 (10)	Smoltz (1–0)	Osuna (0–1)	Wohlers (1)	47,428	1–0
2	October 3	@ Dodgers	3–2	Maddux (1–0)	Valdez (0–1)	Wohlers (2)	51,916	2–0
3	October 5	Dodgers	5–2	Glavine (1–0)	Nomo (0–1)	Wohlers (3)	52,529	3–0

National League Championship Series: 4–3

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
1	October 9	Cardinals	4–2	Smoltz (1–0)	Petkovsek (0–1)	Wohlers (1)	48,686	1–0
2	October 10	Cardinals	3–8	Stottlemyre (1–0)	Maddux (0–1)	—	52,067	1–1
3	October 12	@ Cardinals	2–3	Osborne (1–0)	Glavine (0–1)	Eckersley (1)	56,769	1–2
4	October 13	@ Cardinals	3–4	Eckersley (1–0)	McMichael (0–1)	—	56,764	1–3
5	October 14	@ Cardinals	14–0	Smoltz (2–0)	Stottlemyre (1–1)	—	56,782	2–3
6	October 16	Cardinals	3–1	Maddux (1–1)	Benes (0–1)	Wohlers (2)	52,067	3–3
7	October 17	Cardinals	15–0	Glavine (1–1)	Osborne (1–1)	—	52,067	4–3

World Series: 2–4

#	Date	Opponent	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Record
1	October 20	@ Yankees	12–1	Smoltz (1–0)	Pettitte (0–1)	—	56,365	1–0
2	October 21	@ Yankees	4–0	Maddux (1–0)	Key (0–1)	—	56,340	2–0
3	October 22	Yankees	2–5	Cone (1–0)	Glavine (0–1)	Wetteland (1)	51,843	2–1
4	October 23	Yankees	6–8 (10)	Lloyd (1–0)	Avery (0–1)	Wetteland (2)	51,881	2–2
5	October 24	Yankees	0–1	Pettitte (1–1)	Smoltz (1–1)	Wetteland (3)	51,881	2–3
6	October 26	@ Yankees	2–3	Key (1–1)	Maddux (1–1)	Wetteland (4)	56,375	2–4

Detailed records

National League
Opponent	W	L	WP	RS	RA
NL East
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins	6	7	0.462	54	64
Montreal Expos	10	3	0.769	52	38
New York Mets	7	6	0.538	61	66
Philadelphia Phillies	9	4	0.692	83	46
Total	32	20	0.615	250	214
NL Central
Chicago Cubs	7	5	0.583	61	43
Cincinnati Reds	7	5	0.583	59	45
Houston Astros	6	6	0.500	47	44
Pittsburgh Pirates	9	3	0.750	59	35
St. Louis Cardinals	9	4	0.692	67	47
Total	38	23	0.623	293	214
NL West
Colorado Rockies	5	7	0.417	79	89
Los Angeles Dodgers	5	7	0.417	33	40
San Diego Padres	9	4	0.692	56	34
San Francisco Giants	7	5	0.583	62	57
Total	26	23	0.531	230	220
Season Total	96	66	0.593	773	648

Month	Games	Won	Lost	Win %	RS	RA
April	27	16	11	0.593	126	91
May	25	19	6	0.760	154	76
June	28	15	13	0.536	132	140
July	26	15	11	0.577	116	103
August	29	19	10	0.655	131	99
September	27	12	15	0.444	114	139
Total	162	96	66	0.593	773	648

Total	162	96	66	0.593	773	648
	Games	Won	Lost	Win %	RS	RA
Home	81	56	25	0.691	434	300
Away	81	40	41	0.494	339	348

Opening Day starters

Notable transactions

June 4, 1996: Marcus Giles was drafted by the Braves in the 53rd round of the 1996 MLB draft. He signed May 26, 1997.^[7] Other notable draft picks who signed with the Braves include Mark DeRosa, Jason Marquis, and Joe Nelson.^[8]
June 24: Mark Whiten signed as a free agent with the Braves.^[9]
August 13: Terry Pendleton was traded by the Florida Marlins to the Braves for Roosevelt Brown.^[10]
August 14: Mark Whiten was traded by the Braves to the Seattle Mariners for Roger Blanco.^[9]
August 17: Luis Polonia was signed as a free agent with the Braves.^[11]
August 28: The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Denny Neagle to the Braves for Ron Wright, Corey Pointer, and a player to be named later. On August 30, Atlanta sent Jason Schmidt to Pittsburgh to complete the trade.^[12]

Roster

1996 Atlanta Braves

Roster

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

6 Bobby Cox

Coaches

37 Jim Beauchamp (bench)
39 Pat Corrales (first base)
28 Clarence Jones (hitting)
54 Leo Mazzone (pitching)
22 Jimy Williams (third base)
42 Ned Yost (bullpen)

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Javy López	138	489	138	.282	23	69
1B	Fred McGriff	159	617	182	.295	28	107
2B	Mark Lemke	135	498	127	.255	5	37
SS	Jeff Blauser	83	265	65	.245	10	35
3B	Chipper Jones	157	598	185	.309	30	110
LF	Ryan Klesko	153	528	149	.282	34	93
CF	Marquis Grissom	158	671	207	.308	23	74
RF	Jermaine Dye	98	292	82	.281	12	37

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Terry Pendleton	42	162	33	.204	4	17
Eddie Pérez	68	156	40	.256	4	17
Dwight Smith	101	153	31	.203	3	16
Rafael Belliard	86	142	24	.169	0	3
David Justice	40	140	45	.321	6	25
Mike Mordecai	66	108	26	.241	2	8
Andruw Jones	31	106	23	.217	5	13
Mark Whiten	36	90	23	.256	3	17
Ed Giovanola	43	82	19	.232	0	7
Jerome Walton	37	47	16	.340	1	4
Tony Graffanino	22	46	8	.174	0	2
Luis Polonia	22	31	13	.419	0	2
Tyler Houston	33	27	6	.222	1	8
Danny Bautista	17	20	3	.150	0	1
Joe Ayrault	7	5	1	.200	0	0
Pablo Martínez	4	2	1	.500	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
John Smoltz	35	253.2	24	8	2.94	276
Greg Maddux	35	245.0	15	11	2.72	172
Tom Glavine	36	235.1	15	10	2.98	181
Steve Avery	24	131.0	7	10	4.47	86
Jason Schmidt	13	58.2	3	4	6.75	48
Denny Neagle	6	38.2	2	3	5.59	18

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Mike Bielecki	40	75.1	4	3	2.63	71
Terrell Wade	44	69.2	5	0	2.97	79
Brad Woodall	8	19.2	2	2	7.32	20

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Mark Wohlers	77	2	4	39	3.03	100
Brad Clontz	81	6	3	1	5.69	49
Greg McMichael	73	5	3	2	3.22	78
Pedro Borbón, Jr.	43	3	0	1	2.75	31
Joe Borowski	22	2	4	0	4.85	15
Dean Hartgraves	20	1	0	0	4.34	14
Kevin Lomon	6	0	0	0	4.91	1
Tom Thobe	4	0	1	0	1.50	1
Carl Schutz	3	0	0	0	2.70	5

National League Divisional Playoffs

Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Atlanta wins the series, 3–0

Game	Home	Score	Visitor	Score	Date	Series
1	Los Angeles	1	Atlanta	2	October 2	1–0 (ATL)
2	Los Angeles	2	Atlanta	3	October 3	2–0 (ATL)
3	Atlanta	5	Los Angeles	2	October 5	3–0 (ATL)

National League Championship Series

Game 1

October 9: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	5	1
Atlanta	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	X	4	9	0
WP: John Smoltz (1–0) LP: Mark Petkovsek (0–1) SV: Mark Wohlers (1) Home runs: STL: None ATL: None

Game 2

October 10: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis	1	0	2	0	0	0	5	0	0	8	11	2
Atlanta	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	5	2
WP: Todd Stottlemyre (1–0) LP: Greg Maddux (0–1) Home runs: STL: Gary Gaetti (1) ATL: Marquis Grissom (1)

Game 3

October 12: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	8	1
St. Louis	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	X	3	7	0
WP: Donovan Osborne (1–0) LP: Tom Glavine (0–1) SV: Dennis Eckersley (1) Home runs: ATL: None STL: Ron Gant 2 (2)

Game 4

October 13: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	9	1
St. Louis	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	X	4	5	0
WP: Dennis Eckersley (1–0) LP: Greg McMichael (0–1) Home runs: ATL: Mark Lemke (1), Ryan Klesko (1) STL: Brian Jordan (1)

Game 5

October 14: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	5	2	0	3	1	0	0	1	2	14	22	0
St. Louis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
WP: John Smoltz (2–0) LP: Todd Stottlemyre (1–1) Home runs: ATL: Fred McGriff (1), Javy López (1) STL: None

Game 6

October 16: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	6	1
Atlanta	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	X	3	7	0
WP: Greg Maddux (1–1) LP: Alan Benes (0–1) SV: Mark Wohlers (2) Home runs: STL: None ATL: None

Game 7

October 17: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2
Atlanta	6	0	0	4	0	3	2	0	X	15	17	0
WP: Tom Glavine (1–1) LP: Donovan Osborne (1–1) Home runs: STL: None ATL: Javy López (2), Andruw Jones (1), Fred McGriff (2)

World Series

Game 1

October 20, 1996, at Yankee Stadium in New York City


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	0	2	6	0	1	3	0	0	0	12	13	0
New York	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	1
WP: John Smoltz (1–0) LP: Andy Pettitte (0–1) Home runs: ATL: Andruw Jones 2 (2), Fred McGriff (1) NYY: None

Game 2

October 21, 1996, at Yankee Stadium in New York City


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	4	10	0
New York	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	1
WP: Greg Maddux ) LP: Jimmy Key (0–1)

Game 3

October 22, 1996, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	5	8	1
Atlanta	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	6	1
WP: David Cone (1–0) LP: Tom Glavine (0–1) Sv: John Wetteland (1) Home runs: NYY: Bernie Williams (1) ATL: None

Game 4

October 23, 1996, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
New York	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	3	0	2	8	12	0
Atlanta	0	4	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	9	2
WP: Graeme Lloyd (1–0) LP: Steve Avery (0–1) Sv: John Wetteland (2) Home runs: NYY: Jim Leyritz (1) ATL: Fred McGriff (2)

Game 5

October 24, 1996, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	1
Atlanta	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
WP: Andy Pettitte (1–1) LP: John Smoltz (1–1) Sv: John Wetteland (3)

Game 6

October 26, 1996, at Yankee Stadium in New York City


Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	8	0
New York	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	X	3	8	1
WP: Jimmy Key (1–1) LP: Greg Maddux (1–1) Sv: = John Wetteland (4)

Award winners

Tom Glavine, P, Silver Slugger Award
Marquis Grissom, OF, Gold Glove Award
Javy López, C, NLCS MVP
Greg Maddux, P, Gold Glove Award
John Smoltz, P, Pitcher of the Month Award, April
John Smoltz, P, Pitcher of the Month Award, May
John Smoltz, P, National League Cy Young Award
John Smoltz, Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award

1996 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

Fred McGriff, 1B, starter
Chipper Jones, 3B, starter
John Smoltz, P, starter
Tom Glavine, P, reserve
Greg Maddux, P, reserve
Mark Wohlers, P, reserve

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Richmond Braves	International League	Bill Dancy
AA	Greenville Braves	Southern League	Jeff Cox
A	Durham Bulls	Carolina League	Randy Ingle
A	Macon Braves	South Atlantic League	Paul Runge
A-Short Season	Eugene Emeralds	Northwest League	Jim Saul
Rookie	Danville Braves	Appalachian League	Brian Snitker
Rookie	GCL Braves	Gulf Coast League	Robert Lucas and Chino Cadahia

Source^[13]

Notes

^ "Smoltz smothers Expos". Ledger-Enquirer. Associated Press. September 28, 1996. pp. C3. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
^ "Major League Leaders - Teams - Pitching". FanGraphs.
^ "Jerome Walton Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball Reference.
^ "Mike Kelly Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball Reference.
^ "Mike Bielecki Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
^ "1996 Atlanta Braves Roster". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
^ "Marcus Giles Stats". Baseball Reference.
^ "1996 Atlanta Braves Picks in the MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Mark Whiten Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference.
^ "Terry Pendleton Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference.
^ "Luis Polonia Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference.
^ Megdal, Howard (July 14, 2010). "Remembering The 1996 Trade Deadline". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America.

References

1996 Atlanta Braves at Baseball Reference

[1] "Smoltz smothers Expos". Ledger-Enquirer. Associated Press. September 28, 1996. pp. C3. Retrieved July 14, 2025.

[2] "Major League Leaders - Teams - Pitching". FanGraphs.

[3] "Jerome Walton Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball Reference.

[4] "Mike Kelly Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball Reference.

[5] "Mike Bielecki Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.

[6] "1996 Atlanta Braves Roster". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 26, 2019.

[7] "Marcus Giles Stats". Baseball Reference.

[8] "1996 Atlanta Braves Picks in the MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 14, 2025.

[autogenerated1-9] "Mark Whiten Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference.

[10] "Terry Pendleton Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference.

[11] "Luis Polonia Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference.

[12] Megdal, Howard (July 14, 2010). "Remembering The 1996 Trade Deadline". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved July 14, 2025.

[13] Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America.

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National League champions
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National League East champions
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1980s	1980: Philadelphia Phillies 1981: Montreal Expos 1982: St. Louis Cardinals 1983: Philadelphia Phillies 1984: Chicago Cubs 1985: St. Louis Cardinals 1986: New York Mets 1987: St. Louis Cardinals 1988: New York Mets 1989: Chicago Cubs
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2020s	2020: Atlanta Braves 2021: Atlanta Braves 2022: Atlanta Braves 2023: Atlanta Braves 2024: Philadelphia Phillies