When the Braves needed a jolt on Wednesday night against the Dodgers, they got it from the least likely bat in the lineup. Ha-Seong Kim, a player who had been one of the worst hitters in MLB history, delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the ninth to seal Atlanta’s win and clinch the season series.
That kind of finish is exactly why this one belongs in the conversation with the strangest Braves walk-offs of the last 20 years. Since 2006, Atlanta has had plenty of dramatic endings, but a handful stand out because of who delivered them - and just how little anyone expected it.
One of the most memorable came on May 28, 2018, when Charlie Culberson turned a rough afternoon into a Braves win over the Mets. Heading into the first game of a doubleheader, Culberson was hitting .204/.271/.296 with no homers and only two RBIs.
With Ronald Acuña Jr. out, Atlanta had already burned through Ryan Flaherty and Kurt Suzuki as pinch-hitters, leaving Culberson as the last bench option. He then took a 90 MPH slider 411 feet to left-center for a walk-off homer, his first MLB home run since September of 2016.
He followed it the next week with another walk-off blast, and the clutch reputation stuck.
Another surprise came on May 22, 2026, when Chadwick Tromp came through in extra innings. He had not started the game and entered in the seventh after Walt Weiss pinch-hit for Sandy León. Tromp had already delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th, and when he came up again in the 11th, he did it a second time, driving a 2-2 fastball up the middle to score Eli White and end the game.
Then there was July 4, 2021, when Max Fried - of all people - was the one Atlanta wanted at the plate with the game on the line. The Braves had erased a four-run deficit in the ninth and kept grinding in the 10th.
The Marlins intentionally walked Dansby Swanson, then Guillermo Heredia flied out. Orlando Arcia was also intentionally walked, Austin Riley was thrown out at the plate, and after Kevan Smith was intentionally walked to get to Fried, the pitcher who had a .649 OPS lined a single into center on a 3-1 count to win it.
It was the kind of swing that fit the oddity of the moment perfectly.
Brooks Conrad’s walk-off grand slam on May 20, 2010, was chaos from start to finish. The Braves began the ninth down six, and even a double-switch to start the inning suggested some of the lineup spots were never supposed to matter again.
But Atlanta strung together four straight singles, drew a walk, got a run on an error, and after Jason Heyward struck out, Conrad came up with the bases loaded and the Braves still down three. Francisco Cordero threw a 97 MPH fastball, Conrad sent it the other way, and the ball barely slipped over Laynce Nix’s glove.
Conrad thought it had been caught before realizing what happened, then sprinted around the bases in one of the franchise’s most iconic walk-offs.
The weirdest ending of all before Kim’s hit may have been July 26, 2011. By the 19th inning, the Braves were scraping the bottom of the bench.
Cristhian Martinez had already recorded a hit and two sacrifice bunts as a reliever, and Scott Proctor had already batted once. With one out in the bottom of the 19th, Julio Lugo walked, moved to third on a single, and Proctor came up again despite having only three hits in his seven-year career entering the game.
He hit a grounder to third, Lugo was thrown out at the plate, but home plate umpire Jerry Meals ruled that catcher Michael McHenry missed the tag, giving Atlanta the win on one of the most controversial calls of the 21st century.
And still, Kim’s hit might top them all for sheer surprise. On August 26, 2026, the Braves had to choose between lefty Dominic Smith and righty Ha-Seong Kim against left-handed closer Tanner Scott after pinch-running for Sean Murphy forced Atlanta to give up the DH spot and bring in Drake Baldwin.
Kim hadn’t had a hit since June 3 and had gone 1-for-45 over his previous 22 games dating back to May 24, with a .145 OPS in that stretch. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, he worked the count full, fouled off several tough pitches, and then lined a single into left for the win over the Dodgers.
In Other News...
Braves Fans May See Ronald Acuna Jrs Dodgers Mistake Differently Now
Ronald Acuna Jr.s recent series against the Los Angeles Dodgers was one of those stretches where every miscue seemed to get magnified, especially for a player who usually draws attention for the right reasons. The Braves right fielder also went through it at the plate, but the moment that stood out most came on defense, when a hesitation helped Shohei Ohtani move up to second base and left Atlanta searching for an explanation after the game.
Walt Weiss offered one, saying Acuna paused because first baseman Matt Olson was not covering first base, which created the kind of split-second confusion that can happen on a busy infield play. Weiss made clear the blame was not all on Acuna, a subtle but important distinction for a Braves team trying to sort out a rough sequence without turning one mistake into a bigger story than it needs to be. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Finally Cut Ties With A Left Field Mistake
Jurickson Profars time in Atlanta has already been defined as much by absences as by anything he has done on the field. Twice suspended under Major League Baseballs performance-enhancing drug policy, first for 80 games and then for an entire season after a second positive test, he has barely had a chance to become a steady part of the Braves plans, even though he is still attached to the roster on a contract that runs one more year.
Now the Braves are staring at a familiar offseason question in left field, and Profars name is suddenly at the center of it. The club needs more certainty in a spot that has not settled the way it hoped, and there is growing talk that Atlanta could simply move on rather than carry the baggage and uncertainty into another year. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Make A Telling Lineup Call On Ronald Acua Jr
Walt Weiss made a notable lineup shuffle Tuesday by sliding Ha-Seong Kim back into the Braves starting group for the first time since Aug. 7 and giving Ronald Acua Jr. a night out of the order. It was the kind of call that speaks to both the urgency of the stretch run and the need to reward a player who had just snapped out of a rough spell in dramatic fashion.
Acua has been trying to find his rhythm again since coming off the injured list, but the timing has not fully come back yet and the results have reflected it, with a .188 average over 28 games. Kim, meanwhile, turned a 0-for-27 slide into a walk-off moment in the previous game, and that was enough to earn another look while the Braves keep sorting out a lineup that still has to balance patience with production. [Read more 🡒]