1997 National League Championship Series

Lore & Background

Both teams hailed from the NL East division, the 101-win Braves being the division champions while the Marlins made the playoffs courtesy of the wild card. Both the Braves and Marlins swept their opponents during the Division Series. This was the second all-Southern postseason series, the first being in the previous round when Atlanta beat the Houston Astros. However, it was the first all-Southern postseason series to take place entirely in one time zone. This series marked the high point for the Braves-Marlins rivalry, as the Marlins made the playoffs only once from 1998 to 2019 (2003, which also ended with a World Series title). However, both franchises would eventually meet in the postseason again in the 2020 National League Division Series.

Reader's Guide

The series was played from October 7 to October 14, 1997. Games 1 and 2 were at Turner Field in Atlanta; Games 3, 4, and 5 were at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida; Game 6 was back at Turner Field. The Marlins won Games 1, 3, 5, and 6; the Braves won Games 2 and 4. Key players included Kevin Brown, Liván Hernández, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Chipper Jones.

Did You Know?

• Liván Hernández struck out 15 batters in Game 5, tying the record for most strikeouts in an NLCS game set by Bob Gibson in 1968.
• The 1997 NLCS was the second all-Southern postseason series, after the 1997 NLDS between the Braves and Astros.
• Game 5 featured a controversial wide strike zone by umpire Eric Gregg, later voted the third-worst called game from 1975 to 2000 by Baseball America.