The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers meeting in the National League Division Series not only meant their first postseason matchup since 2013, but it was all the more intriguing because of last winter’s trade.
With both clubs looking to shed salary, the Braves and Dodgers came to terms on a five-player trade last December. Matt Kemp returned to the organization that drafted him, while the Braves received Charlie Culberson, Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy.
Kemp went on to have an All-Star season for the Dodgers, but for the Braves, the deal has essentially only netted them Culberson. Gonzalez was immediately released, Kazmir was cut in Spring Training, and McCarthy last pitched in June and is set to retire.
Culberson not only resides as the Braves’ last standing piece from the trade, he’s playing an important role for the club as injury forced them to leave Dansby Swanson off the NLDS roster. Atlanta went into Game 3 needing a win to stave off elimination.
They jumped out to a 5-0 lead and hung on for a win against a Dodgers team that didn’t storm out to the best record in baseball like they did in 2017 but nonetheless remain a talented group. “Not many differences,” Culberson said when asked to compare the team to the one he was part of last season.
“They’re still a good ballclub. Being over there parts of two years, experiencing a couple of postseasons in that clubhouse, they have the same goals in mind as we do. They want to win a World Series, and with them coming up one game short last year, I think they have even an extra chip on their shoulder. They have a great staff, great pitching staff. Great offense. They still look like the same team. That’s how I see them.”
Culberson appeared in just 49 games for the Dodgers over parts of two seasons, but he’s forever tied to the franchise’s history. Culberson’s walk-off home run in 2016 clinched the NL West title on what was Vin Scully’s final home game.
Culberson then filled in admirably for Corey Seager in the 2017 NL Championship Series, and remained on the active roster even when the Dodgers’ starting shortstop returned for the World Series.
Fond as the memories may be, the Georgia native is focused on solving his former teammates. “We’ve been here before in a situation where we’ve had to win. We’ve had losing streaks and we’ve come back big and went on winning streaks,” Culberson said.
“It’s win or go home, and everybody knows that. There’s not much talking about what we have to do. Everybody knows that we have to come in here and play better than them and score some runs and score more than they do. So we understand that.”
Want to get your content COMPLETELY AD FREE? Click here to follow us on Apple News!
