# 1996 Atlanta Braves season

The 1996 Atlanta Braves season was the 126th season in the history of the franchise and 31st season in the city of Atlanta. They secured a regular season record of 96–66 and reached the World Series, where they lost to the underdog New York Yankees in six games, failing to defend its championship in 1995. Heavily favored and seen as one of the greatest Braves teams in history and despite taking a 2–0 lead, the Braves unexpectedly lost the next 4 games. This World Series appearance was their fourth appearance in the last 5 years as a franchise, excluding the strike shortened season. Atlanta won its seventh division title (second in the National League East, the other five in the NL West) and its fifth in six years. In the previous round, Atlanta completed a miraculous comeback. After trailing in the NLCS to St. Louis three games to one, Atlanta outscored St. Louis 32–1 in games five through seven to complete the comeback. The collapse was remembered as one of the largest in North American sports history.
The 1996 season was the Braves' final season at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, with Game 5 of the 1996 World Series being the last game played in the stadium. Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium also served as a venue during the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, prompting the Braves to go on an extended road trip as their stadium hosted the baseball competition. Following the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Paralympics, Centennial Olympic Stadium was reconstructed as planned into Turner Field, which would become the home of the Braves for the next 20 seasons. This was also the final season for Ted Turner as the owner of the Braves. The team would be acquired (along with TBS) by Time Warner in October 1996, following the World Series.

## Offseason

* January 3, 1996: Jerome Walton was signed as a free agent by the Braves.
* January 9, 1996: Mike Kelly was traded by the Braves to the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named later and Chad Fox. The Reds sent Ray King (June 11, 1996) to the Braves to complete the trade.
* March 31, 1996: Mike Bielecki was signed as a free agent with the Braves.

## Regular season
### Season standings

vteNL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Atlanta Braves | 96 | 66 | .593 | — | 56‍–‍25 | 40‍–‍41 |
| Montreal Expos | 88 | 74 | .543 | 8 | 50‍–‍31 | 38‍–‍43 |
| Florida Marlins | 80 | 82 | .494 | 16 | 52‍–‍29 | 28‍–‍53 |
| New York Mets | 71 | 91 | .438 | 25 | 42‍–‍39 | 29‍–‍52 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 67 | 95 | .414 | 29 | 35‍–‍46 | 32‍–‍49 |

### Record vs. opponents

1996 National League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL |
| Atlanta | — | 7–5 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 9–4 | 9–3 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 9–4 |
| Chicago | 5–7 | — | 5–8 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 8–5 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 5–8 |
| Cincinnati | 5–7 | 8–5 | — | 7–6 | 3–9 | 7–6 | 4–8 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 10–2 | 5–8 | 9–3 | 9–4 | 5–8 |
| Colorado | 7–5 | 7–5 | 6–7 | — | 5–8 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 3–9 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 8–5 | 5–8 | 8–4 |
| Florida | 7–6 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 8–5 | — | 7–5 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 7–6 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 6–6 |
| Houston | 6–6 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 5–7 | — | 6–6 | 4–9 | 8–4 | 10–2 | 8–5 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 2–11 |
| Los Angeles | 7–5 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 7–6 | 6–6 | — | 9–3 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 7–6 | 8–4 |
| Montreal | 3–10 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 8–5 | 9–4 | 3–9 | — | 7–6 | 6–7 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 9–4 | 8–4 |
| New York | 6–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 6–7 | — | 7–6 | 8–5 | 3–10 | 6–6 | 5–7 |
| Philadelphia | 4-9 | 6–7 | 2–10 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 2–10 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 6–7 | — | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 4–8 |
| Pittsburgh | 3–9 | 9–4 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 5–8 | 5–7 | — | 4–9 | 8–4 | 3–10 |
| San Diego | 4–9 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 5–8 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 8–5 | 8–4 | 10–3 | 8–4 | 9–4 | — | 11–2 | 4–8 |
| San Francisco | 5–7 | 5–7 | 4–9 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–7 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 2–11 | — | 7–6 |
| St. Louis | 4–9 | 8–5 | 8–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 11-2 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 10–3 | 8–4 | 6–7 | — |

### Game log

1996 Game Log: 96–66 (Home: 56–25; Away: 40–41) :
April: 16–11 (Home: 8–6; Away: 8–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1April 1Giants10–8Maddux (1–0)LeiterBorbon (1)48,9611–0
2April 3Giants15–2Glavine (1–0)VanLandingham—28,7282–0
3April 4Giants1–7WatsonSmoltz (0–1)—30,2712–1
4April 5Cardinals4–5 (14)BaileyBielecki (0–1)Eckersley31,0712–2
5April 6Cardinals2–3 (12)ParrettClontz (0–1)—34,6492–3
6April 7Cardinals13–3Schmidt (1–0)Busby—28,4983–3
7April 8@ Dodgers0–1NomoGlavine (1–1)—53,1803–4
8April 9@ Dodgers3–1Smoltz (1–1)AstacioWohlers (1)35,5704–4
9April 10@ Dodgers2–9CandiottiAvery (0–1)—48,1944–5
10April 11@ Padres1–2AshbyMaddux (1–1)Hoffman19,0474–6
11April 12@ Padres5–3Schmidt (2–0)BergmanWohlers (2)25,7475–6
12April 13@ Padres2–6HamiltonGlavine (1–2)Bochtler45,2505–7
13April 14@ Padres4–0Smoltz (2–1)Valenzuela—45,0146–7
14April 16Marlins5–2Avery (1–1)BrownWohlers (3)26,6257–7
15April 17Marlins4–2Maddux (2–1)BurkettWohlers (4)28,8848–7
16April 18Marlins3–5HammondGlavine (1–3)Nen25,3008–8
17April 19Padres7–1Smoltz (3–1)Hamilton—27,3759–8
18April 20Padres6–5McMichael (1–0)BochtlerWohlers (5)31,89310–8
19April 21Padres1–2 (15)WorrellThobe (0–1)Bochtler28,82910–9
20April 22Dodgers4–1Maddux (3–1)Candiotti—33,08011–9
21April 23Dodgers2–3OsunaClontz (0–2)Worrell30,47511–10
22April 24@ Giants8–3Smoltz (4–1)Watson—13,29612–10
23April 25@ Giants0–8GardnerSchmidt (2–1)—12,43612–11
24April 26@ Cardinals6–1Avery (2–1)Benes—34,59813–11
25April 27@ Cardinals7–2Maddux (4–1)Osborne—20,75714–11
26April 29@ Cardinals4–1Glavine (2–3)StottlemyreWohlers (6)25,45215–11
27April 30@ Astros7–5Smoltz (5–1)JonesMcMichael (1)17,79516–11 :
May: 19–6 (Home: 12–3; Away: 7–3)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
28May 1@ Astros0–3HamptonAvery (2–2)—18,54616–12
29May 3Phillies3–6MulhollandMaddux (4–2)Bottalico39,69716–13
30May 4Phillies6–3McMichael (2–0)RyanClontz (1)44,42917–13
31May 5Phillies11–8Smoltz (6–1)Williams—35,47118–13
32May 6Rockies4–1Avery (3–2)Thompson—28,72519–13
33May 7Rockies6–5 (10)Clontz (1–2)Leskanic—29,97620–13
34May 8Rockies5–1Glavine (3–3)Reynoso—29,36321–13
35May 10@ Phillies11–0Smoltz (7–1)Mulholland—27,06822–13
36May 11@ Phillies11–3Avery (4–2)Mimbs—22,82323–13
37May 12@ Phillies0–6GraceMaddux (4–3)—32,31423–14
38May 13Pirates9–3Glavine (4–3)Darwin—28,58324–14
39May 14Pirates7–3Smoltz (8–1)Wagner—28,17525–14
40May 15Pirates0–3NeagleAvery (4–3)—30,91725–15
41May 17Reds8–2Maddux (5–3)Smiley—40,61226–15
42May 18Reds2–1Clontz (2–2)RuffinWohlers (7)49,55327–15
43May 19Reds9–5Smoltz (9–1)SchourekWohlers (8)41,15328–15
44May 20Cubs18–1Avery (5–3)Castillo—29,98429–15
45May 21Cubs2–4TelemacoWohlers (0–1)Patterson31,04529–16
46May 22Cubs9–4Glavine (5–3)Bullinger—33,18630–16
47May 24@ Pirates5–3Smoltz (10–1)DarwinWohlers (9)20,23831–16
48May 25@ Pirates2–6NeagleAvery (5–4)—29,27331–17
49May 26@ Pirates6–3 (13)Wade (1–0)MiceliBielecki (1)33,08532–17
50May 27@ Cubs9–1Glavine (6–3)Telemaco—33,07033–17
51May 29@ Cubs2–0Smoltz (11–1)Trachsel—30,60134–17
52May 31@ Reds9–1Avery (6–4)Schourek—33,45535–17 :
June: 15–13 (Home: 11–6; Away: 4–7)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
53June 1@ Reds2–3PortugalMaddux (5–4)Brantley34,02335–18
54June 2@ Reds6–2Glavine (7–3)Smiley—23,48236–18
55June 3Mets5–4Clontz (3–2)MacdonaldWohlers (10)30,16237–18
56June 4Mets6–12WilsonSchmidt (2–2)—32,19937–19
57June 5Mets8–6McMichael (3–0)MlickiWohlers (11)31,99838–19
58June 7@ Rockies8–19PainterBielecki (0–2)—48,02738–20
59June 8@ Rockies12–13HolmesMcMichael (3–1)Ruffin48,01538–21
60June 9@ Rockies8–3Smoltz (12–1)Thompson—48,03639–21
61June 10@ Mets3–8JonesAvery (6–5)—17,43939–22
62June 11@ Mets4–3 (13)Borbon (1–0)ByrdWade (1)19,25640–22
63June 12@ Mets2–3ClarkMaddux (5–5)Franco18,89640–23
64June 13Dodgers3–6ValdezGlavine (7–4)Worrell39,46340–24
65June 14Dodgers3–1Smoltz (13–1)AstacioWohlers (12)45,38941–24
66June 15Dodgers2–6NomoAvery (6–6)Worrell49,72641–25
67June 16Dodgers2–3CandiottiSchmidt (2–3)Worrell44,78441–26
68June 17Padres9–3Maddux (6–5)Bergman—32,93442–26
69June 18Padres5–3Clontz (4–2)HamiltonWohlers (13)32,73043–26
70June 19Padres5–1Smoltz (14–1)Tewksbury—34,82344–26
71June 21Giants8–7 (11)Wade (2–0)Beck—38,43245–26
72June 22Giants6–0Maddux (7–5)Gardner—49,36546–26
73June 23Giants1–0Glavine (8–4)FernandezWohlers (14)35,64547–26
74June 24Cardinals2–9BenesSmoltz (14–2)—31,97147–27
75June 25Cardinals4–3Schmidt (3–3)StottlemyreWohlers (15)30,94248–27
76June 26Cardinals7–11BenesAvery (6–7)—31,19148–28
77June 27Cardinals3–0Maddux (8–5)MorganWohlers (16)32,24349–28
78June 28@ Marlins0–2LeiterGlavine (8–5)Nen30,66149–29
79June 29@ Marlins3–5RappSmoltz (14–3)—40,95249–30
80June 30@ Marlins5–4Clontz (5–2)BurkettWohlers (17)34,02350–30 :
July: 15–11 (Home: 7–3; Away: 8–8)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
81July 1@ Expos7–2Avery (7–7)Rueter—34,11651–30
82July 2@ Expos1–5CormierMaddux (8–6)—20,07551–31
83July 3@ Expos3–1Glavine (9–5)ScottWohlers (18)26,83752–31
84July 4Astros2–5ReynoldsSmoltz (14–4)Hernandez49,06052–32
85July 5Astros1–7KileSchmidt (3–4)—36,89652–33
86July 6Astros4–2Bielecki (1–2)Hampton—41,61953–33
87July 7Astros9–1Maddux (9–6)Wall—28,71654–33
88July 11Marlins8–9BurkettAvery (7–8)Nen33,20854–34
89July 12Marlins6–3Glavine (10–5)LeiterWohlers (19)32,51755–34
90July 13Marlins3–0Smoltz (15–4)Brown—36,95356–34
91July 14Marlins15–10McMichael (4–1)Perez—31,13457–34
92July 15Expos5–4Maddux (10–6)ManuelWohlers (20)32,70858–34
93July 16Expos3–2Wohlers (1–1)Scott—31,33459–34
94July 18@ Astros3–2Smoltz (16–4)JonesWohlers (21)35,82260–34
95July 19@ Astros6–7KileWoodall (0–1)Wagner39,09060–35
96July 20@ Astros1–2WagnerMaddux (10–7)—49,67460–36
97July 21@ Astros3–4 (10)HernandezMcMichael (4–2)—45,56160–37
98July 22@ Cardinals8–6McMichael (5–2)MathewsWohlers (22)36,21561–37
99July 23@ Cardinals3–2Smoltz (17–4)StottlemyreWohlers (23)35,52062–37
100July 24@ Cardinals4–1Wade (3–0)BenesMcMichael (2)35,41163–37
101July 25@ Giants3–4WatsonMaddux (10–8)Beck16,87163–38
102July 26@ Giants2–1Glavine (11–5)LeiterWohlers (24)17,56064–38
103July 27@ Giants5–7GardnerWoodall (0–2)Beck38,76164–39
104July 28@ Giants3–10EstesSmoltz (17–5)Beck34,52564–40
105July 30@ Padres1–2ValenzuelaMaddux (10–9)Hoffman24,11064–41
106July 31@ Padres7–4Glavine (12–5)TewksburyWohlers (25)24,25465–41 :
August: 19–10 (Home: 10–5; Away: 9–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
107August 1@ Padres3–2Bielecki (2–2)WorrellWohlers (26)24,08966–41
108August 2@ Dodgers1–2RadinskySmoltz (17–6)Guthrie49,01266–42
109August 3@ Dodgers5–3 (18)Woodall (1–2)Martinez—42,57567–42
110August 4@ Dodgers6–4Borbon (2–0)GuthrieWohlers (27)45,90368–42
111August 6Phillies10–4Bielecki (3–2)Springer—32,03669–42
112August 7Phillies14–1 (8)Smoltz (18–6)Munoz—29,92070–42
113August 8Phillies1–4BeechMaddux (10–10)Bottalico32,40170–43
114August 9Rockies4–6WrightGlavine (12–6)Ruffin41,27570–44
115August 10Rockies7–9 (10)ReedWohlers (1–2)Ruffin46,06470–45
116August 11Rockies4–1Smoltz (19–6)FreemanWohlers (28)32,96171–45
117August 13@ Phillies2–0Maddux (11–10)Hunter——72–45
118August 13@ Phillies5–2Hartgraves (1–0)BeechWohlers (29)25,19673–45
119August 14@ Phillies1–4WestGlavine (12–7)Bottalico28,20673–46
120August 15@ Phillies8–5Wade (4–0)Schilling—28,01174–46
121August 16Pirates5–4Smoltz (20–6)NeagleWohlers (30)39,21075–46
122August 17Pirates7–1Bielecki (4–2)Ruebel—49,02476–46
123August 18Pirates2–1 (14)Borowski (1–0)Cordova—31,58777–46
124August 20Reds4–1Glavine (13–7)BurbaWohlers (31)32,65878–46
125August 21Reds4–3Borbon (3–0)Brantley—29,21379–46
126August 22Reds2–3 (13)CarrascoBorowski (1–1)Brantley31,72979–47
127August 23Cubs4–3Maddux (12–10)TrachselWohlers (32)38,21080–47
128August 24Cubs6–5Clontz (6–2)Casian—46,80481–47
129August 25Cubs2–3FosterWohlers (1–3)Wendell35,17681–48
130August 27@ Pirates2–3NeagleSmoltz (20–7)Plesac14,60381–49
131August 28@ Pirates9–4Wade (5–0)Loaiza—14,59182–49
132August 29@ Pirates5–1Maddux (13–10)LieberWohlers (33)12,10183–49
133August 30@ Cubs2–3FosterGlavine (13–8)Patterson—83–50
134August 30@ Cubs6–5Borowski (2–1)BottenfieldWohlers (34)31,54884–50
135August 31@ Cubs0–12CastilloNeagle (0–1)Adams38,69184–51 :
September: 12–15 (Home: 8–2; Away: 4–13)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
136September 1@ Cubs1–2 (12)CampbellBorowski (2–2)—40,19284–52
137September 2@ Reds6–7ShawMcMichael (5–3)Brantley20,87984–53
138September 3@ Reds1–5BurbaBielecki (4–3)Shaw18,84484–54
139September 4@ Reds6–12SalkeldGlavine (13–9)—19,53284–55
140September 6Mets8–7Wohlers (2–3)Henry—37,66085–55
141September 7Mets6–1Smoltz (21–7)Jones—47,13086–55
142September 8Mets2–6ClarkMaddux (13–11)—39,04586–56
143September 10@ Rockies8–9HolmesClontz (6–3)Ruffin48,05186–57
144September 11@ Rockies5–6WrightNeagle (0–2)Swift48,09186–58
145September 12@ Rockies8–16BurkeSmoltz (21–8)—48,05286–59
146September 13@ Mets4–6DipotoBorowski (2–3)Wallace17,33186–60
147September 14@ Mets5–6 (12)WallaceBorowski (2–4)—22,85786–61
148September 15@ Mets3–2Glavine (14–9)WilsonWohlers (35)23,71887–61
149September 16@ Mets5–2Neagle (1–2)Harnisch—14,98088–61
150September 17Astros5–4Smoltz (22–8)KileWohlers (36)32,10989–61
151September 18Astros6–2Maddux (14–11)Hampton—29,88590–61
152September 19Expos1–5UrbinaWohlers (2–4)—37,19390–62
153September 20Expos3–2Glavine (15–9)LeiperWohlers (37)46,26091–62
154September 21Expos5–4Neagle (2–2)DaalWohlers (38)49,28592–62
155September 22Expos8–2Smoltz (23–8)Fassero—49,23893–62
156September 23Expos3–1Maddux (15–11)LeiterBielecki (2)49,08394–62
157September 24@ Marlins1–12RappAvery (7–9)—18,24594–63
158September 25@ Marlins0–3BrownGlavine (15–10)Nen29,17894–64
159September 26@ Marlins1–7LeiterNeagle (2–3)—25,55394–65
160September 27@ Expos6–4Smoltz (24–8)FasseroWohlers (39)33,13395–65
161September 28@ Expos4–0Woodall (2–2)Leiter—34,12596–65
162September 29@ Expos3–6AlvarezAvery (7–10)Rojas30,64696–66 :
Legend:        = Win        = Loss Bold = Braves team member :

### Postseason Game log

1996 Postseason Game Log :
National League Division Series: 3–0
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1October 2@ Dodgers2–1 (10)Smoltz (1–0)Osuna (0–1)Wohlers (1)47,4281–0
2October 3@ Dodgers3–2Maddux (1–0)Valdez (0–1)Wohlers (2)51,9162–0
3October 5Dodgers5–2Glavine (1–0)Nomo (0–1)Wohlers (3)52,5293–0 :
National League Championship Series: 4–3
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1October 9Cardinals4–2Smoltz (1–0)Petkovsek (0–1)Wohlers (1)48,6861–0
2October 10Cardinals3–8Stottlemyre (1–0)Maddux (0–1)—52,0671–1
3October 12@ Cardinals2–3Osborne (1–0)Glavine (0–1)Eckersley (1)56,7691–2
4October 13@ Cardinals3–4Eckersley (1–0)McMichael (0–1)—56,7641–3
5October 14@ Cardinals14–0Smoltz (2–0)Stottlemyre (1–1)—56,7822–3
6October 16Cardinals3–1Maddux (1–1)Benes (0–1)Wohlers (2)52,0673–3
7October 17Cardinals15–0Glavine (1–1)Osborne (1–1)—52,0674–3 :
World Series: 2–4
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1October 20@ Yankees12–1Smoltz (1–0)Pettitte (0–1)—56,3651–0
2October 21@ Yankees4–0Maddux (1–0)Key (0–1)—56,3402–0
3October 22Yankees2–5Cone (1–0)Glavine (0–1)Wetteland (1)51,8432–1
4October 23Yankees6–8 (10)Lloyd (1–0)Avery (0–1)Wetteland (2)51,8812–2
5October 24Yankees0–1Pettitte (1–1)Smoltz (1–1)Wetteland (3)51,8812–3
6October 26@ Yankees2–3Key (1–1)Maddux (1–1)Wetteland (4)56,3752–4 :

### Detailed records

National League :
| Opponent | W | L | WP | RS | RA |
| NL East |||||||
| Atlanta Braves | | | | | |
| Florida Marlins | 6 | 7 | 0.462 | 54 | 64 |
| Montreal Expos | 10 | 3 | 0.769 | 52 | 38 |
| New York Mets | 7 | 6 | 0.538 | 61 | 66 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 9 | 4 | 0.692 | 83 | 46 |
| Total | 32 | 20 | 0.615 | 250 | 214 |
| NL Central |||||||
| Chicago Cubs | 7 | 5 | 0.583 | 61 | 43 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 7 | 5 | 0.583 | 59 | 45 |
| Houston Astros | 6 | 6 | 0.500 | 47 | 44 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 9 | 3 | 0.750 | 59 | 35 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 9 | 4 | 0.692 | 67 | 47 |
| Total | 38 | 23 | 0.623 | 293 | 214 |
| NL West |||||||
| Colorado Rockies | 5 | 7 | 0.417 | 79 | 89 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 5 | 7 | 0.417 | 33 | 40 |
| San Diego Padres | 9 | 4 | 0.692 | 56 | 34 |
| San Francisco Giants | 7 | 5 | 0.583 | 62 | 57 |
| Total | 26 | 23 | 0.531 | 230 | 220 |
| Season Total | 96 | 66 | 0.593 | 773 | 648 |
| Month | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| April | 27 | 16 | 11 | 0.593 | 126 | 91 |
| May | 25 | 19 | 6 | 0.760 | 154 | 76 |
| June | 28 | 15 | 13 | 0.536 | 132 | 140 |
| July | 26 | 15 | 11 | 0.577 | 116 | 103 |
| August | 29 | 19 | 10 | 0.655 | 131 | 99 |
| September | 27 | 12 | 15 | 0.444 | 114 | 139 |
| Total | 162 | 96 | 66 | 0.593 | 773 | 648 |
| | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| Home | 81 | 56 | 25 | 0.691 | 434 | 300 |
| Away | 81 | 40 | 41 | 0.494 | 339 | 348 |
| Total | 162 | 96 | 66 | 0.593 | 773 | 648 |

### Opening Day starters

* Jeff Blauser
* Marquis Grissom
* David Justice
* Ryan Klesko
* Mark Lemke
* Javy López
* Greg Maddux
* Fred McGriff
* Mike Mordecai

### Notable transactions

* June 4, 1996: Marcus Giles was drafted by the Braves in the 53rd round of the 1996 amateur draft. Player signed May 26, 1997.
* June 24, 1996: Mark Whiten signed as a free agent with the Braves.
* August 13, 1996: Terry Pendleton was traded by the Florida Marlins to the Braves for Roosevelt Brown.
* August 14, 1996: Mark Whiten was traded by the Braves to the Seattle Mariners for Roger Blanco (minors).
* August 17, 1996: Luis Polonia was signed as a free agent with the Braves.
* August 30, 1996: Jason Schmidt was sent by the Braves to the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete an earlier deal made on August 28, 1996. The Braves sent a player to be named later, Ron Wright, and Corey Pointer (minors) to the Pirates for Denny Neagle. The Braves sent Jason Schmidt (August 30, 1996) to the Pirates to complete the trade.

### Roster
## Player stats
### Batting
#### Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C | Javy López | 138 | 489 | 138 | .282 | 23 | 69 |
| 1B | Fred McGriff | 159 | 617 | 182 | .295 | 28 | 107 |
| 2B | Mark Lemke | 135 | 498 | 127 | .255 | 5 | 37 |
| SS | Jeff Blauser | 83 | 265 | 65 | .245 | 10 | 35 |
| 3B | Chipper Jones | 157 | 598 | 185 | .309 | 30 | 110 |
| LF | Ryan Klesko | 153 | 528 | 149 | .282 | 34 | 93 |
| CF | Marquis Grissom | 158 | 671 | 207 | .308 | 23 | 74 |
| RF | Jermaine Dye | 98 | 292 | 82 | .281 | 12 | 37 |

#### Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| Terry Pendleton | 42 | 162 | 33 | .204 | 4 | 17 |
| Eddie Pérez | 68 | 156 | 40 | .256 | 4 | 17 |
| Dwight Smith | 101 | 153 | 31 | .203 | 3 | 16 |
| Rafael Belliard | 86 | 142 | 24 | .169 | 0 | 3 |
| David Justice | 40 | 140 | 45 | .321 | 6 | 25 |
| Mike Mordecai | 66 | 108 | 26 | .241 | 2 | 8 |
| Andruw Jones | 31 | 106 | 23 | .217 | 5 | 13 |
| Mark Whiten | 36 | 90 | 23 | .256 | 3 | 17 |
| Ed Giovanola | 43 | 82 | 19 | .232 | 0 | 7 |
| Jerome Walton | 37 | 47 | 16 | .340 | 1 | 4 |
| Tony Graffanino | 22 | 46 | 8 | .174 | 0 | 2 |
| Luis Polonia | 22 | 31 | 13 | .419 | 0 | 2 |
| Tyler Houston | 33 | 27 | 6 | .222 | 1 | 8 |
| Danny Bautista | 17 | 20 | 3 | .150 | 0 | 1 |
| Joe Ayrault | 7 | 5 | 1 | .200 | 0 | 0 |
| Pablo Martínez | 4 | 2 | 1 | .500 | 0 | 0 |

### Pitching
#### Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| John Smoltz | 35 | 253.2 | 24 | 8 | 2.94 | 276 |
| Greg Maddux | 35 | 245.0 | 15 | 11 | 2.72 | 172 |
| Tom Glavine | 36 | 235.1 | 15 | 10 | 2.98 | 181 |
| Steve Avery | 24 | 131.0 | 7 | 10 | 4.47 | 86 |
| Jason Schmidt | 13 | 58.2 | 3 | 4 | 6.75 | 48 |
| Denny Neagle | 6 | 38.2 | 2 | 3 | 5.59 | 18 |

#### Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Mike Bielecki | 40 | 75.1 | 4 | 3 | 2.63 | 71 |
| Terrell Wade | 44 | 69.2 | 5 | 0 | 2.97 | 79 |
| Brad Woodall | 8 | 19.2 | 2 | 2 | 7.32 | 20 |

#### Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| Mark Wohlers | 77 | 2 | 4 | 39 | 3.03 | 100 |
| Brad Clontz | 81 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5.69 | 49 |
| Greg McMichael | 73 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3.22 | 78 |
| Pedro Borbón, Jr. | 43 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2.75 | 31 |
| Joe Borowski | 22 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4.85 | 15 |
| Dean Hartgraves | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.34 | 14 |
| Kevin Lomon | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.91 | 1 |
| Tom Thobe | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.50 | 1 |
| Carl Schutz | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 5 |

## National League Divisional Playoffs
### Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Atlanta wins the series, 3–0
| Game | Home | Score | Visitor | Score | Date | Series |
| 1 | Los Angeles | 1 | Atlanta | 2 | October 2 | 1–0 (ATL) |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 2 | Atlanta | 3 | October 3 | 2–0 (ATL) |
| 3 | Atlanta | 5 | Los Angeles | 2 | October 5 | 3–0 (ATL) |

## National League Championship Series
### Game 1

October 9: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| St. Louis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| WP: John Smoltz (1–0) LP: Mark Petkovsek (0–1) SV: Mark Wohlers (1) Home runs: STL: None ATL: None |||||||||||||

### Game 2

October 10: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| St. Louis | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 2 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| WP: Todd Stottlemyre (1–0) LP: Greg Maddux (0–1) Home runs: STL: Gary Gaetti (1) ATL: Marquis Grissom (1) |||||||||||||

### Game 3

October 12: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Atlanta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| WP: Donovan Osborne (1–0) LP: Tom Glavine (0–1) SV: Dennis Eckersley (1) Home runs: ATL: None STL: Ron Gant 2 (2) |||||||||||||

### Game 4

October 13: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Atlanta | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | X | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| WP: Dennis Eckersley (1–0) LP: Greg McMichael (0–1) Home runs: ATL: Mark Lemke (1), Ryan Klesko (1) STL: Brian Jordan (1) |||||||||||||

### Game 5

October 14: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Atlanta | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 22 | 0 |
| St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| WP: John Smoltz (2–0) LP: Todd Stottlemyre (1–1) Home runs: ATL: Fred McGriff (1), Javy López (1) STL: None |||||||||||||

### Game 6

October 16: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| WP: Greg Maddux (1–1) LP: Alan Benes (0–1) SV: Mark Wohlers (2) Home runs: STL: None ATL: None |||||||||||||

### Game 7

October 17: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Atlanta | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | X | 15 | 17 | 0 |
| WP: Tom Glavine (1–1) LP: Donovan Osborne (1–1) Home runs: STL: None ATL: Javy López (2), Andruw Jones (1), Fred McGriff (2) |||||||||||||

## World Series
### Game 1

October 20, 1996, at Yankee Stadium in New York City
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Atlanta | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 0 |
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| WP: John Smoltz (1–0) LP: Andy Pettitte (0–1) Home runs: ATL: Andruw Jones 2 (2), Fred McGriff (1) NYY: None |||||||||||||

### Game 2

October 21, 1996, at Yankee Stadium in New York City
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Atlanta | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| WP: Greg Maddux ) LP: Jimmy Key (0–1) |||||||||||||

### Game 3

October 22, 1996, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| New York | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| WP: David Cone (1–0) LP: Tom Glavine (0–1) Sv: John Wetteland (1) Home runs: NYY: Bernie Williams (1) ATL: None |||||||||||||

### Game 4

October 23, 1996, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 0 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| WP: Graeme Lloyd (1–0) LP: Steve Avery (0–1) Sv: John Wetteland (2) Home runs: NYY: Jim Leyritz (1) ATL: Fred McGriff (2) ||||||||||||||

### Game 5

October 24, 1996, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| WP: Andy Pettitte (1–1) LP: John Smoltz (1–1) Sv: John Wetteland (3) |||||||||||||

### Game 6

October 26, 1996, at Yankee Stadium in New York City
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| New York | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| WP: Jimmy Key (1–1) LP: Greg Maddux (1–1) Sv: = John Wetteland (4) |||||||||||||

## Award winners

* Tom Glavine, P, Silver Slugger Award
* Marquis Grissom, OF, Gold Glove Award
* Javy López, C, NLCS MVP
* Greg Maddux, P, Gold Glove Award
* John Smoltz, P, Pitcher of the Month Award, April
* John Smoltz, P, Pitcher of the Month Award, May
* John Smoltz, P, National League Cy Young Award
* John Smoltz, Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award
1996 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
* Fred McGriff, 1B, starter
* Chipper Jones, 3B, starter
* John Smoltz, P, starter
* Tom Glavine, P, reserve
* Greg Maddux, P, reserve
* Mark Wohlers, P, reserve

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Richmond Braves | International League | Bill Dancy |
| AA | Greenville Braves | Southern League | Jeff Cox |
| A | Durham Bulls | Carolina League | Randy Ingle |
| A | Macon Braves | South Atlantic League | Paul Runge |
| A-Short Season | Eugene Emeralds | Northwest League | Jim Saul |
| Rookie | Danville Braves | Appalachian League | Brian Snitker |
| Rookie | GCL Braves | Gulf Coast League | Robert Lucas and Chino Cadahia |