Newz Forum: BASEBALL: Braves silence critics with 13th straight NL East title

ATLANTA -- The cigars were bigger than ever, the champagne and beer just as cold.

The scene in the joyous Atlanta Braves clubhouse showed that winning never gets old.

The Braves clinched their 13th consecutive division title Friday night, winning the NL East with an 8-7 comeback victory over the Florida Marlins.

Afterward, a smiling and soaked Chipper Jones sat slumped on a table and tried to put the record run into perspective.

"Besides my first one, this one is definitely the most special to me," said Jones, a rookie on the Braves' 1995 World Series championship team.

Picked to finish behind Philadelphia and Florida by many before the season, the Braves were six games under .500 and 6½ games out of first place on June 23. They are 58-26 since, leaving the Marlins and Phillies to fight for second place.

"They shouldn't have picked against us," Jones said.

The Braves became the third major league team to clinch their division, joining St. Louis in the NL Central and Minnesota in the AL Central. The New York Yankees have secured at least a wild-card spot.