Bream was Atlanta's starting first baseman in 1993, but he got off to a poor start. "I've been struggling, very much so," he said in June. One bright spot came on May 8 when he pinch-hit for Cabrera against Willie Blair of the Colorado Rockies. On a pitch in which he checked his swing, Bream hit a grand slam through the thin air at Mile High Stadium, tying a game the Braves had trailed 6–0 but won 8–7. He had a four-hit, three RBI game on June 21 in an 8–1 victory over the Phillies, but the performance only raised his batting average to .243. On July 19, the Braves acquired first baseman and defending NL home run leader Fred McGriff from the Padres, and Bream was relegated to pinch-hitting for the rest of the season. In 117 games (277 at bats), he batted .260 with 33 runs scored, 72 hits, nine home runs, and 35 RBI. He reached the playoffs for the third year in a row as Atlanta won the NL West. This time, he made just one appearance in the NLCS against the Phillies, entering as part of a double switch in Game 2, singling against Larry Andersen in the ninth, and scoring a run in Atlanta's 14–3 victory. The Braves lost the series in six games, and Bream became a free agent after the season.