Jeff Francoeur is officially the MLB version of Gus Johnson calling games for the Atlanta Braves.
The Atlanta Braves dug the long ball last night, as Jeff Francoeur was there in the booth to give us the necessary Gus Johnson exuberance we needed in the thrilling three-game sweep of the New York Mets.
In what was a game Braves Country will remember for a very long time, Atlanta's normal color commentator was joined in the booth by colleague Tom Glavine, as well as two other Braves legends in Chipper Jones and John Smoltz. Brandon Gaudin had the night off to be the Braves fan he is at heart. Atlanta kept hitting home runs all night but needed Ozzie Albies' blast in the 10th.
With a three-run moonshot deep into the Chop House, Atlanta completed an improbable three-game sweep of their most hated rival. New York should have probably won all three games, but their bullpen imploded down the stretch. The Braves bats never stopped, and the only team that matters in the sport just kept on winning, baby! Just listen to Francoeur enter pure euphoria here.
As if "Throw It Again" wasn't enough from this series to add to Braves Country's lexicon, add "Pour Larry a Crown" to the mix and have a good time. Jones loves Crown Royal and destroying the Mets.
Atlanta enters its weekend series vs. the Washington Nationals with a 3.5-game lead over the Miami Marlins in the division, as well as a staggering 8.5-game lead over the fourth-placed Mets.
Jeff Francoeur loses his mind in Atlanta Braves' series sweep of New York Mets
We had a feeling that with Chipper and Smoltzie joining Frenchie and Glav in the booth we'd be in for a real treat. While Glavine and Smoltz are a little more reserved with their in-game analysis, nobody goes for broke quite like Jones, and especially Francoeur. The Braves' former Gold Glove right fielder set the tone for the evening by calling Austin Riley's big fly to plate Ronald Acuña Jr.
The guys were supposed to alternate innings on home run calls. In typical Francoeur fashion, he forgot the fifth inning was his in the rotation. Let's just say his call of Marcell Ozuna's solo shot added even more hilarity to the historically, unforgettable night for Braves fans across the globe.
And the with the Braves down only one run in the bottom of the ninth inning, you can put it on the board with Orlando Arcia's incredibly clutch one-run bomb. Atlanta would later win it in the 10th.
I have to be totally honest with you, it's still very early in the season, but this three-game home sweep of the Mets just might be the catalyst Atlanta needs to achieve its serious championship aspirations. While I would say taking two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend could be the pivotal turning point, you cannot deny what it means to sweep a hated rival.
Sure, there are plenty of great teams at the top of the standings in the National League, but it is going to be awfully hard to beat the Braves when their offense can steal games like this pretty much everyone else would have lost. It may not have been a banner day for the Atlanta pitching staff, but great teams find ways to win games when nobody else thinks it is remotely possible.
Frankly, now is not the time for the Braves to take their foot off the gas. Washington may be very much in its rebuilding phase, but you have to take two of three at home over the Nats, especially with the way the Fish have been playing this year. This division will send multiple teams into the postseason. Atlanta should be one of them, but Miami, New York and Philadelphia all have a shot.
Congratulations on stealing another game from the Mets to further send them into their misery.
