HOUSTON -- The Atlanta Braves clinched their seventh NL East championship in nine years Sunday with a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros.
Mike Yastrzemski hit a three-run homer during a four-run sixth inning to give the Braves the lead. After Dylan Dodd struck out the side in the ninth to clinch the title, the team ran onto the field to celebrate with hugs and take a team photo in championship hats and T-shirts.
Under first-year manager Walt Weiss, the Braves have rebounded after missing the playoffs last season with a disappointing 76-86 record and fourth-place finish in the NL East, snapping a streak of seven straight playoff appearances that included six consecutive NL East titles from 2018 to 2023.
That run was highlighted by beating the Astros to win the 2021 World Series.
Atlanta has won 24 division titles, tying the Dodgers for the most since the inception of the divisional format in 1969. Atlanta has won the NL East 19 times in 32 seasons.
The Braves clinched a postseason berth Friday night with a 6-2 win over the Astros but had a subdued celebration, with the team making a simple toast with bubbly as the focus was set on the NL East crown.
Atlanta has the third-best record in the NL at 92-64. The top two teams in the league get a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The Braves have won at least 90 games in five of the past eight seasons. The only teams with more 90-win seasons over that span are the Dodgers, who have eight, and the Yankees, with six.