MIAMI (AP) — William Contreras hit the go-ahead run in the fifth, and the Atlanta Braves clinched their fifth consecutive NL East title by defeating the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Atlanta, the defending World Series champion, earned a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed in the NL, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Braves were 10 1/2 games behind the New York Mets at the start of June and lost four of five to New York in early August. After sweeping the Mets over the weekend to take the division lead, Atlanta entered the series needing a win or a Mets loss to clinch the division crown.