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Not done mixing it up: Braves advance to first NLCS since 2001, will face Dodgers

ATLANTA — The last time the Atlanta Braves advanced to the National League Championship Series, much of their current roster were just getting interested in baseball.

In 2001, Freddie Freeman sat in Angels Stadium as a 12-year-old fan growing up in southern California. Dansby Swanson, age 7, cheered on the 2001 Braves as a kid in Marietta. At age 3, Ronald Acuna Jr. watched his dad played professional baseball.

Now, these Braves will get a taste of the NLCS for themselves. Atlanta swept the Miami Marlins in the NLDS Thursday with a 7-0 win to keep their quest for a World Series title alive.

[Braves hosting watch parties at Truist Park with social distancing measures in place]

Atlanta will now advance to the bubble in Arlington where they will face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept the San Diego Padres Thursday night. Game 1 is set for Monday.

The Braves are 5-0 in the playoffs, sweeping the Reds in the wild-card series and now the Marlins in the NLDS.

Fans knew the Braves had the powerful bats and steady bullpen to make a dent in the postseason, but the surprise has been its starting rotation. Along with Max Fried and Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright who shook off some early Marlins baserunners for the win.

The confidence in pitching will be key in the NLCS with the Dodgers and Padres boasting some of the league’s top hitters. The Dodgers' Mookie Betts and the Padres' Fernando Tatis, Jr. both are in the running with Freeman for NL Most Valuable Player.

[PHOTOS: Braves win 3rd straight NL East title]

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