The narrative felt written before a single pitch was even thrown. Everyone expected the Los Angeles Dodgers to steamroll their way back to the World Series, especially after that exhausting, high-octane 106-win regular season. But baseball is weird. The 2021 National League Championship Series wasn't just a rematch of the previous year; it was a total exorcism for the Atlanta Braves. After blowing a 3-1 lead to these same Dodgers in the 2020 bubble, Atlanta looked like they were walking into a buzzsaw. Honestly, most analysts thought the Braves were just happy to be there after losing superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. to an ACL tear earlier in the summer.
They weren't just happy to be there.
Atlanta played with a "nothing to lose" chip on their shoulder that LA couldn't match. It’s easy to forget that the Braves only won 88 games that year. By all traditional metrics, they shouldn't have been on the same field as a Dodgers roster featuring Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, and Trea Turner. But momentum is a terrifying thing in October. The Braves didn't just win; they fundamentally changed the way we look at trade deadline acquisitions. Alex Anthopoulos, the Braves GM, basically rebuilt his entire outfield in July with "misfit toys" like Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler, and Joc Pederson. It was a gamble that turned into a masterclass.
The Walk-Off Magic of Games 1 and 2
The series started in Atlanta, and the atmosphere at Truist Park was electric, if not a bit anxious. You've got to remember the history here. Braves fans are conditioned for heartbreak. When Game 1 stayed knotted at 2-2 going into the ninth, the collective breath-holding was audible. Then came Austin Riley. He smoked a walk-off single down the left-field line, scoring Ozzie Albies. 1-0 Braves.
Most people figured LA would bounce back immediately in Game 2. They almost did. The Dodgers held a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning. But then, the Braves’ mid-season arrivals started doing damage. Eddie Rosario—a name Dodgers fans probably still see in their nightmares—singled to start the rally. Ozzie Albies drove him in. Then Riley tied it. Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, Rosario ripped a ball through the shift to score Dansby Swanson.
Two games. Two walk-offs.
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It was a staggering start. The Dodgers looked shell-shocked. It wasn't just that they were losing; it was how they were losing. Max Scherzer, "Mad Max" himself, started Game 2 on short rest after closing out the NLDS against the Giants. He admitted later his arm felt like "dead arm." This was the first crack in the Dodgers' perceived invincibility. Using Scherzer as a reliever in the previous round was a high-stakes gamble by Dave Roberts that arguably cost them the 2021 National League Championship Series.
The Eddie Rosario Show
If you weren't watching closely in 2021, you might not realize just how historic Eddie Rosario's performance was. He didn't just play well; he turned into prime Barry Bonds for six games. Rosario hit .560 in the series. That isn't a typo. He had 14 hits, a new record for a single postseason series.
- He had a four-hit game in Game 4.
- He hit two home runs in that same game.
- He capped it all off with a three-run blast in Game 6.
There’s a specific kind of zone baseball players get into where the ball looks like a beach ball. Rosario was in that zone from the first pitch of the series to the last. He took home the MVP honors, obviously. But it wasn't just the stats. It was the timing. Every time the Dodgers seemed to gain an ounce of momentum, Rosario would bloop a single or crush a line drive to kill the rally.
Why the Dodgers Faltered
Look, LA was exhausted. They had just finished an all-out war with the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS, a series that went the full five games and required every ounce of their pitching depth. By the time they hit the 2021 National League Championship Series, the tank was near empty.
Injuries didn't help. Losing Max Muncy right before the playoffs was a massive blow to their lineup protection. Then Justin Turner went down with a hamstring injury during the series. Without the "soul" of their clubhouse, the Dodgers' offense felt disjointed. They struggled immensely with runners in scoring position, leaving a small village on the basepaths in Games 1 and 6.
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The pitching strategy was also questionable. The "opener" strategy and relying on a tired bullpen finally caught up to them. Walker Buehler was gutsy, but he didn't have his best stuff. Julio Urías, who had been a rock all year, got tagged for crucial runs. It felt like the Dodgers were playing chess with half their pieces missing, while the Braves were playing checkers—fast, aggressive, and simple.
Game 6: The Exorcism
The series went back to Atlanta for Game 6. The Braves held a 3-2 lead. The ghosts of 2020 were everywhere. When the Dodgers cut the lead to 4-2 and put runners on second and third with no outs in the seventh inning, every Braves fan prepared for the worst. This was the moment where the "old Braves" would have folded.
Enter Tyler Matzek.
What Matzek did in that seventh inning is arguably the greatest relief appearance in franchise history. He didn't just get out of the jam; he dominated.
- He struck out Albert Pujols.
- He struck out Steven Souza Jr.
- He struck out Mookie Betts.
He threw nothing but high-velocity heaters and devastating sliders. The stadium was vibrating. When Betts swung through that final strike, the energy shifted. The Dodgers were done. They knew it, and the Braves knew it. When Will Smith (the pitcher, not the catcher) induced a groundout from Chris Taylor to end the game, the celebration wasn't just about winning the pennant. It was about finally getting past the Dodgers' shadow.
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The Statistical Reality
People love to talk about the "best team," but the 2021 National League Championship Series proved that the hottest team usually wins.
| Metric | Atlanta Braves | LA Dodgers |
|---|---|---|
| Series Batting Avg | .250 | .219 |
| Team ERA | 3.40 | 4.04 |
| Home Runs | 9 | 4 |
The Dodgers actually outscored opponents significantly during the regular season, but in this specific window, Atlanta’s bullpen was elite. The "Night Shift"—featuring Matzek, Luke Jackson, Will Smith, and A.J. Minter—posted numbers that made the Dodgers' high-priced hitters look like amateurs. They surrendered very few walks and forced LA to beat them with hits, which the Dodgers simply couldn't string together.
The Aftermath and Legacy
The Braves went on to beat the Houston Astros in the World Series, but most fans in Georgia will tell you the NLCS was the real hurdle. It was the emotional peak. It validated Brian Snitker’s leadership and Alex Anthopoulos’s aggressive trade deadline maneuvering.
It also changed how front offices view the 162-game grind. You don't need to win 105 games to be a champion. You just need to be healthy and clicking in October. The 2021 Braves are the poster child for the "just get in" philosophy.
What You Should Take Away From This Series
If you're looking back at this series to understand modern baseball, here are the actual lessons learned:
- Bullpen depth beats star power: The Dodgers had more "names," but the Braves had a cohesive unit of relievers who were perfectly utilized.
- The Trade Deadline matters more than we think: Without Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario, the Braves don't even make the playoffs, let alone win the NLCS.
- Rest vs. Rust is a real debate: The Dodgers were spent after the NLDS. The Braves, who finished their previous series earlier, looked fresher and more explosive in the late innings.
For anyone wanting to dive deeper into the tactics of this era, go back and watch the pitch sequencing Tyler Matzek used against Mookie Betts in Game 6. It’s a masterclass in attacking a superstar’s weakness with raw confidence. It basically summarizes the entire 2021 National League Championship Series: Atlanta stopped being afraid.
To truly understand the impact of this series, compare the Braves' roster construction in 2021 to their 2023 and 2024 versions. You'll see a shift toward the "power and strikeout" depth that defined their championship run. Study the box scores of Games 1, 2, and 6 specifically to see how high-leverage relief pitching has become the most important currency in October. Check the transaction logs from July 2021 to see how a GM can save a season with four "small" trades that change everything.