The Atlanta Braves are entering the Major League Baseball playoffs for the fifth year in a row as division winners. But this time around is different for Braves pitcher Kyle Wright.

“Selfishly, this one means a lot more to me,” Wright said in the locker room while his teammates celebrated the clinching victory on Tuesday night. I’ve been up here the whole year, so to be able to contribute from start to finish means a lot.”

Over the previous four seasons, Wright pitched in 21 regular-season games and posted a 2-8 record with a 6.56 earned-run average. Last season, the former Buckhorn High School standout pitched as many times in Atlanta’s six-game World Series victory over the Houston Astros as he did during the regular season – twice.

This season, Wright had three more pitching wins than any other MLB player as he posted a 21-5 record with a 3.19 ERA. In 30 starts, Wright worked 180.1 innings, struck out 174 and yielded 156 hits and 53 walks.

The Braves finished with a 101-61 record, the same mark as the New York Mets in the NL East. But Atlanta held the tiebreaker over New York, so the Braves earned a bye into the National League Division Series round and don’t start postseason play until Tuesday.

“This time of year, no one really feels good,” Wright said, “so any extra days you can get to kind of rest, recover, I think, is huge. For us, being able to clinch the division and get a couple of extra days off, I think, is going to do us definitely more good than anything.”

The Braves will play either the Philadelphia Phillies or St. Louis Cardinals, who are squaring off in one of the four best-of-three wild-card series that start on Friday.

Wright is one of eight players from Alabama high schools and colleges who seem likely to take the diamond during this year’s MLB playoffs, although the 12 teams haven’t set their 26-player rosters yet.

In addition to Wright, the players with Alabama roots expected to join the postseason teams include:

· New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson (Faith Academy, Auburn): After missing the postseason with the Minnesota Twins in 2020 and 2021, Donaldson is back in the playoffs for the eighth time in his career. The three-time All-Star and former American League MVP hit .222 with 28 doubles, 15 home runs and 62 RBIs in 132 games this season.

· St. Louis Cardinals utilityman Brendan Donovan (Enterprise, South Alabama): The rookie proved to be one of MLB’s most versatile players. In 2022, Donovan started 32 games at second base, 21 at third base, 16 in right field, 16 in left field, 11 at designated hitter, six at first base and six at shortstop. In 38 of his 97 starts, Donovan played more than one position, and he played in 32 more games that he didn’t start. Donovan batted .281 with 64 runs, 21 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 45 RBIs. Because he walked 60 times and got hit by 14 pitches, he had a .394 on-base average.

· New York Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes (Slocomb): In his first full season with the Yankees, Holmes made the American League All-Star team. But he hasn’t pitched since Sept. 26 because of a right-shoulder strain. Holmes has resumed throwing, so New York hopes to have him back in the bullpen next week. In the 2022 regular season, Holmes posted a 7-4 record with a 2.54 ERA and 20 saves in 62 relief appearances. In 63.2 innings, he struck out 65 and yielded 45 hits and 20 walks.

· New York Mets relief pitcher Tommy Hunter (Alabama): Hunter hasn’t pitched since Sept. 14 because of a back ailment, but he’s eligible to return from the injured list. Injuries limited Hunter to four games in 2021, but he made it back for his 15th MLB season in June. In 18 relief appearances, Hunter had an 0-1 record with a 2.42 ERA. In 22.1 innings, he struck out 22 and yielded 21 hits and six walks.

· Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (Lee-Huntsville, Wallace State): With 394 saves, Kimbrel ranks seventh in baseball history in that stat. He got 22 of those saves with the Dodgers this season. But he also had five blown saves and was removed from the closer’s role last month. In 63 relief appearances in 2022, Kimbrel posted a 6-7 record with a 3.75 ERA. In 60 innings, he struck out 72 and yielded 51 hits and 28 walks.

· Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher David Robertson (Paul Bryant, Alabama): An Aug. 2 trade brought Robertson from the Chicago Cubs to the Philadelphia bullpen, and in his 14th MLB season, he’s in the playoffs for the eighth time. For the season, Robertson had a 4-3 record with a 2.40 ERA and 20 saves. In 63.2 innings, he struck out 81 and yielded 39 hits and 35 walks.

· Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Jackson Stephens (Oxford): Stephens hadn’t pitched in the big leagues in three seasons when he resurfaced in Atlanta’s bullpen this year. In 39 games, Stephens posted a 3-3 record with a 3.69 ERA and two saves. In 53.2 innings, he struck out 47 and yielded 49 hits and 23 walks.

The postseason players were among the 33 from Alabama high schools and colleges who got into MLB games during the 2022 regular season.

The Wild-Card Series start on Friday with the Tampa Bay Rays-Cleveland Guardians game on ESPN at 11 a.m. CDT, the Phillies-Cardinals game on ABC at 1 p.m., the Seattle Mariners-Toronto Blue Jays game on ESPN at 3 p.m. and the San Diego Padres-New York Mets game on ESPN at 7 p.m.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.