BRAVES COMPLETE THE SWEEP! BUFFALO STORMS TO TABL WORLD SERIES TITLE WITH 5–2 WIN IN GAME 4

By Sammy Linedriv — TABL Beat Writer

SAN DIEGO — Championship moments don’t just happen, they’re earned, pitch by pitch, at-bat by at-bat, heartbeat by heartbeat. And on Thursday night in Southern California, the Buffalo Braves earned everything.

With a 5–2 victory over the San Diego Friars, a win built on poise, pressure, and perfect execution, the Braves completed a dominant four-game sweep to capture the 2025 TABL World Series title.

There was no fluke. No breaks. No doubt.

Just a team playing its sharpest baseball when the lights were brightest, finishing off a championship run that will sit high in franchise history.

BUFFALO STRIKES FIRST — AND SETS THE TONE

The Braves wasted zero time applying pressure. In the very first inning, Randy Arozarena drew a walk, Jackson Merrill singled him to third, and Josh Naylor lifted a deep sac fly to bring home the opening run .

One run. One statement: Buffalo came here to finish the job.

San Diego threatened early, Ohtani singled, Harper singled, Suzuki walked, but Sonny Gray escaped with a strikeout and a grounder, leaving the tying run at third and the Friars muttering on their way back to the dugout .

FRIARS FIGHT BACK — BUT ONLY FOR A MOMENT

The one bright San Diego inning came in the third. Freddy Fermin singled, Ohtani singled again, Harper singled, and Suzuki punched a grounder into left to tie the game. Joc Pederson followed with a shot to bring home the go-ahead run, giving San Diego a 2–1 lead and finally waking up the Petco Park crowd .

It would be the last time they cheered all night.

Because seconds later, bases loaded, one out, Joe Jiménez spun a jaw-dropping 1–2–3 double play to slam the door and keep the deficit at one. It was the defensive moment that kept Buffalo breathing, and it ended San Diego’s best chance to truly control the game.

BUFFALO’S BULLPEN TAKES OVER THE NIGHT

From the middle innings on, this game became a bullpen showcase, and the Braves owned it.

• Greg Weissert: Clean, steady bridge inning.

• Aaron Bummer: A nasty sixth, featuring a highlight-reel catch from Julio Rodríguez to rob Ohtani down the right-field line .

• Jason Adam: Six up, six down, three strikeouts, total dominance.

• Blake Treinen: Three Friars. Three outs. One dogpile.

The final Braves bullpen line:4 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 5 strikeouts .

Championship-caliber stuff.

THE SIXTH: RODRÍGUEZ STRIKES BACK

After Contreras doubled to open the sixth, Julio Rodríguez slapped a game-tying single past Carlos Correa, knotting things at 2–2 and flipping the momentum entirely back to Buffalo’s dugout .

And from that moment on, the Braves didn’t blink.

THE SEVENTH & EIGHTH: CHAMPS CLOSE

Alec Bohm opened the seventh with a double off the wall. Bryson Stott wore a pitch on the hand. Then Arozarena dropped a flare into right, scoring Bohm and pushing Buffalo ahead 3–2, while Stott was thrown out at the plate on an aggressive send that nearly broke the game further open .

They didn’t need it.

Because in the eighth, Rodríguez doubled again, his third hit, and Bohm smashed a two-run double of his own, blowing the lead open to 5–2 and breaking San Diego’s final ounce of resistance .

Bohm’s night: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, thunder in every swing .

THE FINAL OUTS: A SLOW WALK TOWARD GLORY

The bottom of the ninth was over almost before it began.

Treinen fanned Joey Bart.Treinen blew away Shohei Ohtani, the final fitting exclamation point. Ballgame. Series. Title. The Braves streamed onto the field as gloves, caps, and pure emotion filled the air.

The players swarmed the mound.

The fans roared until their voices cracked.

The long road, the big moments, the comebacks, the grind, all of it met right there in the center of Petco Park.

POSTGAME: ONE SENTENCE, ONE ERA

Buffalo celebrated. San Diego stared into the ether.

And then came the quote that echoed through the tunnels:

“Relievers are stupid.”

A bitter summary for a Friars team that watched late leads crumble and opportunities vanish all postseason long.

THE BRAVES ARE CHAMPIONS. FULL STOP.

This wasn’t a fluke. This wasn’t luck. This wasn’t a team sneaking its way to a title.

Buffalo hit harder, pitched smarter, executed cleaner, and never backed down.

And on a warm October night in San Diego, they were rewarded with the only thing that truly matters:

A World Series trophy

Buffalo Braves: Champions of the TABL.

Forever written.

Forever remembered.