González was able to rebound Atlanta the following season, finishing with a 94–68 record and a wild card berth. On October 5, 2012, González managed his first postseason game as a Major League manager. It was a 6–3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2012 National League Wild Card Game at Turner Field. González put this game under protest after the infield fly rule was called by umpire Sam Holbrook on a ball that fell in shallow left field in the bottom of the eighth inning. González earned his first major league postseason win on October 4, 2013, in a 4–3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Turner Field in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.