The Braves allowed 11 runs in the first inning of NLCS Game 3 vs. the Dodgers. The Cardinals scored 10 first-inning runs off them in last year’s NLDS Game 5

Playoff wins are all alike; every playoff loss stands out in its own way. Which is to say that when the Braves fell out of the postseason in disastrous fashion last year, giving up a record 10 runs in the first inning of Game 5 of the NLDS, they could at least be comforted by the fact that they should never experience this particular sort of loss again. An equally painful loss? Yes. Another incredible blowout? Sure. But 10 runs in the first inning in October? No. This specific kind of playoff agony is meant to be felt only once.

And the Braves’ agony on Wednesday was, in fact, different. It looks similar from a distance. But it is its