The manager pointed to one habit that carried Atlanta from a losing season to a division crown, and it showed up again in Houston on Sunday.
The Atlanta Braves went into Houston and won three games in three days, and the last one came with a division title attached.
Sunday's 4-2 win over the Astros at Daikin Park finished the sweep and clinched the NL East, the seventh division crown for the franchise in the past nine years.
It also gave first-year manager Walt Weiss a moment that explains why this season worked, because a team that went 76-86 a year ago just swept a club still fighting for a playoff spot.
How Sunday Was Won
Sunday looked a lot like the rest of the season.
Designated hitter Jose Altuve homered off left-hander Martín Pérez in the fourth, and Pérez later left with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth.
Reliever Victor Mederos struck out Altuve and got catcher Yainer Diaz to ground into a force, and the deficit stayed at one run.
In the sixth, center fielder Michael Harris II walked, third baseman Mauricio Dubón doubled, and second baseman Ozzie Albies singled home the tying run before outfielder Mike Yastrzemski hit a three-run homer to right center, his 12th of the year.
Reliever AJ Smith-Shawver struck out four over two scoreless innings, Diaz answered with a solo homer in the eighth, and Dylan Dodd struck out the side in the ninth for his second save.
The clinch capped a season that tested the whole roster again and again.
The Habit Weiss Keeps Seeing
After the clincher, Weiss explained what he thinks the title says about his players.
"When we faced our biggest challenges this year, that's when we've been at our best. If you think about it, all the tough stretches, that's when we turned it around and we were at our best. I think that's become part of our identity."
Pérez was a non-roster invitee who was designated for assignment on April 12, and he now carries a 3.04 ERA while starting the clincher.
Harris said being the favorite is not always best because of the expectations that come with it, and that the team just kept its head down and kept working, while Weiss added that the season's injuries created openings that lesser-known players kept filling.
The group had already locked up its return to the postseason on Friday, so Sunday was about finishing the job the right way.
A club built that way tends to travel well in October because it is not dependent on one or two stars to be perfect.
Six Games Before the Real Season
Atlanta sits at 92-64 and currently lines up as the No. 3 seed, which would mean a Wild Card Series matchup with the Padres, Cubs or Phillies.
Whether this group can push past the Dodgers and Brewers is what the next month will decide.
The schedule closes with the Reds at Truist Park from Tuesday through Thursday and a weekend set in Miami, and Weiss has already said the sweep felt like another level while urging his team to keep pressing.
With the division locked up, these last six games are about keeping that edge sharp before October arrives.
