Finally! Freeman, Braves top Reds 1-0 in 13th to open series

ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman singled home the winning run in the 13th inning, finally ending the longest scoreless duel in postseason history as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 in the opener of their NL wild-card series on Wednesday.

The East champion Braves won the first game of a postseason series for the first time since the 2001 NL Division Series and can wrap up the best-of-three series on Thursday. If they do, it will snap a record-tying streak of 10 straight playoff round losses.

What began as a pitching showdown between between Cy Young contenders Trevor Bauer of the Reds and Atlanta's Max Fried devolved into a strikeout contest.

The teams combined for a postseason record 37 Ks — 21 by the Braves. After a couple of hits in the 13th against Archie Bradley, Freeman drove one into center field off Amir Garrett against a five-man infield with one out to end a game that dragged on for more than 4 1/2 hours.

A four-time All-Star, Freeman produced another big year in a pandemic-shortened season after a battle with COVID-19 in July so severe that he said he prayed: “Please don’t take me.”

In the 13th, he was in a situation he relishes.

“That's the guy we want up there,” manager Brian Snitker said.

A.J. Minter escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the 13th for the win — the third straight inning the Reds pushed a runner to third but couldn't get him another 90 feet.

“That was a very stressful 4 1/2 hours,” Freeman said with a chuckle.

The clubs combined to use 14 pitchers and it lasted so long that the lights came on at Truist Park in the 13th — for a game that began just after noon on a sunny, 70-degree day.

It was historic as the first postseason game to be scoreless after 11 innings, but hardly a masterpiece.

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source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Finally-Freeman-leads-Braves-over-Reds-1-0-in-13-15610156.php