ATLANTA — Surely, the thinking around town went, the Atlanta Braves would find a way, as usual, to blow it.
Not this time (or at least not yet).
Atlanta, which did not muster a record above .500 until Aug. 6, improbably captured the National League pennant on Saturday, when it beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2, in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.
By vanquishing the reigning champion Dodgers, four games to two, Atlanta advanced to its first World Series since 1999. This season’s last best-of-seven showdown will begin on Tuesday, when Atlanta will travel to Houston to face the Astros, who won the American League pennant.