Braves Briefing: Remembering US Army veteran Warren Spahn on Independence Day

As it's July 4th, it felt appropriate to look back at one of the Braves' best pitchers in their long and storied history, Warren Spahn.

Spahn has 363 career wins, which places him 1st for lefties all-time and 16th in MLB  history. He had thirteen different twenty-win seasons in his career. 

But he almost didn't get a chance to play for the franchise, as he entered the army in 1942 in response to personnel needs for World War II. Assigned to the 276th Engineer Combat Battalion, part of the 1159th Engineer Combat Group, they were involved in the Battle of the Bulge, one of the most infamous engagements of WWII. Fighting their way out of Hurtgen Forest before being given protection responsibilities for the vital Ludendorff Bridge, his combat group was responsible for the safety of the only bridge still standing over the Rhine River that allowed the United States to move war materiel into Germany. 

Under virtually continuous enemy fire daily, Spahn suffered a foot injury thanks to shrapnel but held the bridge, being awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and a promotion to first lieutenant. 

Upon Germany's surrender in March of 1946, Spahn returned stateside and rejoined the then-Boston Braves before moving with the franchise to Milwaukee, where he would secure the 1959 championship by defeating the New York Yankees, becoming a Cy Young Award winner in the process.    

Spahn finished his 21-year career with 17 All Star Selections, a 363-245 record in 665 games (382 complete games), and have a 3.09 ERA. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in 1973 and passed away on November 24th, 2003. 

Read more about Warren Spahn from the National Baseball Hall of Fame HERE 

NL East Standings

We Wrote It

Braves Today publisher Zac Blackerby handled the takeaways yesterday and had this prescient note about Bryce Elder gutting through a tough performance:

Elder worked well with runners on base for most of the game. It wasn't until the seventh inning that the Guardian's offense would be able to drive in some scores.
The All-Star was pulled after giving up two runs in the action but showed poise in dealing from the mound with runners in scoring position until Cleveland finally chipped away at it.
Tonight, Elder pitched 6.2 innings, gave up seven hits, two runs, two walks, and a strike out. He also picked up the win to improve to 7-1 on the season. 

Watch highlights from Atlanta's win over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday, July 3rd