Travis d'Arnaud Walks it Off for Atlanta Braves, In Striking Distance of Playoffs

Travis d'Arnaud hit arguably the biggest home run of the year by a Braves' hitter

Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud has put the Braves in striking distance of the postseason. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Make that one win closer to a postseason berth. 

The Atlanta Braves beat the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on a walk-off solo blast to center field by Travis d’Arnaud. 

TRAVIS D'ARNAUD WALK-OFF HOME RUN🗣️ pic.twitter.com/NZdRq0qCRR

— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 29, 2024

"I just tried to stay short and I was rewarded with a home run," d'Arnaud said.

The Braves have won their fifth game in a row. It’s their longest winning streak since their six-game winning streak back in April. 

Meanwhile, the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks both lost again. The Braves are now in sole possession of the second Wild Card in the National League. All they need is a win on Sunday or a Diamondbacks loss and they punch their ticket to the playoffs.

The Braves would clinch a postseason berth with a win tomorrow against the Royals; or with a D-backs loss to the Padres.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 29, 2024

If anyone needed the moment badly, it was d’Arnaud. Heading into the game, he was batting .171 with a .548 OPS since the start of August. 

Between him and Sean Murphy, the Braves were getting very little offensive production from their catchers. In that same span, Murphy has batted .172 with a .599 OPS. The difference between the two is a handful of extra-base hits. 

But he delivered when the team needed the timeliest of hits. Without a doubt, this is the biggest home run of the season by a Braves hitter. 

This comes a day after Murphy hit the go-ahead two-run shot en route to a 3-0 Braves win to open the series. 

Just like that, both catchers are heros at the plate. Baseball is just funny like that. 

The Royals opened scoring when Dairon Blanco grounded into a double play that brought in a run in the top of the third. Trading a run for two outs paid off for the Braves.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ramon Laurenao reached base on a throwing error and Jorge Soler scored the tying run. 

The Braves eye a sweep of the Royals when they meet one last time on Sunday. Charlie Morton will be on the mound for the Braves. First pitch is set for 3:20 p.m.