On July 26, the Atlanta Braves opened a Waffle House in Turner Field. Coincidentally, the team has yet to lose a game since the opening of the restaurant. Don't thank the hitting or pitching, thank the Waffle House?
Never mind that the pitching has been lights out or that the offense has woken up, the southern franchise known for serving hashbrowns and waffles, is now the reason why the Braves are winning all of these ball games. Never mind that they aren't playing at home anymore and still winning, of course, it can't be the players making things happen, there has to be a real reason behind the winning streak.
The St. Louis Cardinals, previously the best team in baseball, Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies have all fell victim to Atlanta ever since the opening of the Waffle House. Apparently, the Braves were filled with joy as Turner Field is the first ballpark to have a Waffle House franchise located inside its stadium. The team apparently loaded up with waffles and took some on the road having continued their winning ways far from home.
After sweeping the Cardinals in four games, they took down the Rockies in three. The Braves then took their show on the road, defeating the Phillies in three straight as well. They have won two close games in Washington D.C. and will be looking to sweep the Nationals Wednesday night.
Start the trend, the Braves' twitter account is already creating hashtags like "#WafflePower", while ESPN has used #SyrupStreaking.
All in all, the combination of pitching, hitting and waffles has helped the Braves outscore their opponents 71-28 during this 12-game winning streak, which is the longest in baseball during the 2013 season. Not only is it helping the team better its record, which now stands at 69-45, but the Braves continue to run away with the division, holding a 14.5 game lead over the second place Nationals. They are the only team in baseball with a Waffle House and they are the only team in baseball with a double-digit lead in their division.
The Braves will send Kris Medlen to the mound Wednesday night to face the Nationals. The Nats will try to stop the Waffle House Streak by sending Jordan Zimmerman, who is a clear Cy Young Award contender, to the mound. First pitch is a little after 7:05 p.m. ET.
