If this team was considered one of the Braves' finest creations, then its conclusion ranks as one of the most disheartening moments in the franchise's history.

In under a week since being labeled as postseason favorites for the World Series, the Braves said goodbye to a remarkable 104-win season. Their exceptional offense was stifled during a National League Division Series that ended with a 3-1 defeat to the Phillies in Game 4 on Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park.

According to the Braves' manager, Brian Snitker, “We got beat by a really good club that has a penchant for this time of year. It takes a while to get over something like this after the year we had, the expectation we have here”

For the second consecutive year, the Braves have wrapped up the season with a 14-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East, only to be ousted by them in the NLDS.

The Braves thrived on home runs throughout the regular season but suffered from them in this five-game series. They were outperformed in the home run department by a margin of eight (11-3) by the Phillies, with Nick Castellanos contributing two multi-homer games. Castellanos' four home runs equaled twice the number of hits that the top NL MVP candidate, Ronald Acuña Jr., managed in the four games of this series.

“The only thing that I can say is that I’m learning that the season and the postseason are completely different,” Castellanos said.

In Game 1, when Strider faced off against Ranger Suárez, the Braves experienced their third shutout defeat since the beginning of the regular season, marking their first since May 12. Suárez was on a tight leash in the series opener but managed to limit Atlanta to Austin Riley's solo home run over five innings on Thursday night.

"I was hoping. When I saw the outfielder kind of holding up a little bit, I thought, 'Maybe this ball is going to be off the wall,” Snitker said.

In the seventh inning, the Braves posed a threat as Kevin Pillar and Orlando Arcia managed consecutive two-out walks off the left-handed reliever José Alvarado. Craig Kimbrel then walked pinch-hitter Travis d'Arnaud, loading the bases. Acuña, who had a 2-for-14 record in the series, extinguished the threat with a deep fly ball that center fielder Johan Rojas caught at the left-center field wall.

Just prior to Acuña's flyout, Pillar briefly hesitated and took a few steps towards home plate as a result of a wild pitch. The ball rebounded off the backstop and swiftly returned to J.T. Realmuto. Pillar might have been tagged out, but his quick reaction might have given him a chance to make it.

Certainly, Atlanta won't take much comfort in knowing it's not the sole regular-season favorite that has been eliminated from the playoffs.The teams with the five best regular-season records — the Braves, Orioles (101 wins), Dodgers (100), Rays (99) and Brewers (92)