Take a bow, Mauricio Dubon! The Atlanta Braves infielder has been the hero for the team multiple times this year. His timely hits have given Atlanta a ton of momentum over the last few weeks. Against the Cincinnati Reds in extra innings, Dubon's name was called upon yet again.
Dubon again answered the call. The Braves had runners on the corners in the tenth inning with just one out. Dubon, who was 1-3 before this at-bat, hit a surprisingly weak grounder that landed almost like a bunt. That threw the Reds infielders off just enough, allowing the runner from third to score for the walk-off win. It was an anticlimactic hit that led to a blazing finish for Atlanta.
Article Continues BelowMauricio Dubon delivers the walk-off winner in the 10th for the Braves 🔥pic.twitter.com/cyIE9TXMp3
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Dubon has been the Braves' best cleanup hitter this year. Cleanup hitters in the four-hole often bring a ton of power and are meant to get extra base hits with runners in scoring position. Dubon doesn't have the same power as, say, a Cal Raleigh or a Bryce Harper, but he excels at driving in runs and getting hits with runners on base. Before this game against the Reds, Dubon hit .315 with runners on base and .310 with runners in scoring position. That makes him an excellent choice to bring in Atlanta's top three hitters in Drake Baldwin, Ronald Acuna Jr, and Matt Olson.
The Braves have already clinched a playoff berth and a top-three seed earlier this week. They're basically locked into their current position as the third seed and are now awaiting who, between the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, and Arizona Diamondbacks, they will face in the Wild Card round.