Braves clinch 7th NL East title in 9 years

The Atlanta Braves are kings of the NL East again after beating the Houston Astros 4-2 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

Atlanta bounced back from last year's 76-win campaign to secure its first division title since 2023 and seventh dating back to 2018. The rival Philadelphia Phillies finished on top in 2024 and 2025.

Braves manager Walt Weiss told the clubhouse postgame that winning the division is an "awesome accomplishment."

The Braves have five different position players with at least 20 homers, including Matt Olson, who has a club-leading 40.

NL Cy Young contender Chris Sale has led a banged-up rotation, as starters Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Hurston Waldrep all dealt with long-term injuries.

"This is never going to get old," Sale said, according to Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Like Walt said, this is six months in the making. Fun moment - enjoy it, but we know we got some work to do."

Atlanta will likely finish as the NL's No. 3 seed, which means it will play the Phillies, Chicago Cubs, or San Diego Padres in what's turning out to be a tight wild-card race.