The Braves’ magical World Series run was as likely as any in recent memory. For much of the regular season, the club struggled to stay above water. Then, the trade deadline came. An infusion of Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, and Eddie Rosario completely rejuvenated the Braves — both on and off the field. The boys began to look like they were finally having fun again, and the wins started rolling in.

There are a lot of parallels between this year’s team and last. To begin this season, Atlanta’s record didn’t eclipse .500 until June 5. Every facet of the team struggled at some point in time. Whether it was the bats, the rotation, the bullpen, or the defense, the club couldn’t put it all together. Until a simple meeting from manager Brian Snitker led to 14-straight wins.

Before that run, the Braves trailed the division-leading Mets by 10.5 games. And in just about a week, that lead shrunk to just 4.0 games at one point. Moreover, prior to that win streak, the club couldn’t string together more than two wins in a row. After falling four games under .500, Snitker knew he had to do something.

“I was rolling around, not sleeping,” Snit recalled. “Then I started jotting some notes down in my hotel room and I needed to get in front of them. We weren’t ourselves.

But if you know him, the long-time manager isn’t a Ra Ra leader. Everything he says is simple and to the point.

“Snit is not going to get in front of a club and rant and rave,” bench coach Walt Weiss said. “It was a very simple message.”

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It was simple yet effective. The subtle reminder that they are those motherf**kers was all the club needed to reel off 14-straight wins. It just goes to show how special of a sport baseball is. Intangibles and cohesion are important aspects of championship teams that people so often forget. The difference between the Braves and a lot of other teams is the guys in Atlanta love playing for each other. And this win streak is just the latest example of that.