ATL Standard

They were ready to party like it’s 1995, which was the last time the Atlanta Braves celebrated a World Series championship.

Outfielder Adam Duvall’s early grand slam and soon-to-be free agent first baseman Freddie Freeman’s solo home run in the fifth during Game 5 appeared to bring the Braves closer to their first crown since the age of Internet dial-up and pagers, but it was Halloween, and Atlanta’s MLB title dream turned in a nightmare.

Losing 9-5 to the Houston Astros, the Braves must now try to vanquish them 800 miles away from home.

Braves manager Brian Snitker acknowledged the toll consecutive bullpen games — played as a result of an injury to starter Charlie Morton in Game 1 last week — would have on his team.

“We knew [consecutive bullpen games] was gonna be tough,” Snitker said, MLB.com reported. “It's just a lot of innings to cover against a club like this, that swings the bat so well. The good news is we'll take a day off and be in good shape.”

Duvall’s grand slam created a 4-0 lead in the first, sending a crowded Truist Field into a frenzy.

The advantage was then sliced in half by the Astros’ Alex Bregman and Martin Maldonado before Freeman delivered what became the longest HR of the 2021 postseason, a 460-foot blast into the right outfield stands to increase the gap, Sporting News reported.

It turned out to be the last time the home team sat in the driver's seat as the Braves' pitching staff, which was in its second straight bullpen game, cratered under the power of the consistently prolific Astros offense.

The Braves failed in their bid to become the first team since the 2013 Boston Red Sox to clinch the title at home, WSB reported.

Also, the loss blemished the team's once-perfect home record at Truist in the 2021 postseason. Tomorrow presents Atlanta another chance – the first of possibly two – to close out the Astros.

First pitch for Game 6 is at 7:09 p.m.