By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL/Designated Writers

I grew up as a New York Yankees fan and I suffered through what is known as the “Horace Clarke Era.” If you don’t remember that period, that’s exactly the point. I hung around long enough to enjoy some late 1970s success by the Bronx Bombers, but it was inevitable that George Steinbrenner would run me off like my name was Billy Martin.

For much of the ’80s, I was a man without a team — I tried the Baltimore Orioles, but that didn’t work — before I realized I was going to have to do something. I had two young sons and I wanted them to have a team to follow that they could also watch on a regular basis (thereby eliminating the Seattle Mariners.)

So I latched on to the Atlanta Braves in 1990. I’d heard good things about their potential and I knew their TV availability. Everything seemed to be in place; at least until the season started and they went 65-97. They finished sixth that year, but that’s only because there were just six teams in the NL West.

But you know the rest of the story from that point on. The Braves dominated regular season after regular season and had yearly playoff reservations. Francisco Cabrera, who was as forgettable as Horace Clarke, had what may be the most clutch hit in the history of baseball to beat Pittsburgh in the 1992 NLCS. There was only one World Series (1995), but it was relatively easy to be a Braves fan because they had the formula.

There was success in the 2000s, but they lost the last five games of the 2011 season to miss the playoffs and then there was the famed “Outfield Fly Rule” game that cost them in the 2012 playoffs, which turned out to be Chipper Jones’ last game.

After they were summarily dismissed in the ’13 playoffs, the dismantling began. The Braves were smart enough to keep first baseman Freddie Freeman, but had little else. How Freeman managed to stay around during some horrendous years is amazing.

But through some shrewd trades and good drafts, Atlanta mortgaged the present for the future and it paid off. Winning the NL East division in 2018 was at least a year ahead of schedule, if not two.

Now they’ve won four straight titles and were able to overcome some playoff anxiety by beating favored Milwaukee and heavily favored Los Angeles in this year’s playoffs.

And now it’s the Houston Astros in the World Series, beginning Tuesday at Minute Maid Park.

Once again, Atlanta is not the betting favorite. After the Braves beat the Dodgers in Game 6 Saturday night, I heard it said by an analyst: “it’s not who you play, it’s when you play them.” Sure, the Braves won only 88 games this year — two teams that DIDN’T make the playoffs won more games — but there’s context to that.

Atlanta never had its best pitcher (Mike Soroka) the entire season. Starting catcher Travis d’Arnaud was lost for three months. Ronald Acuna, who was on his way to a possible MVP, blew out his knee in the outfield on July 10. Cleanup hitter Marcel Ozuna, who led the National League in home runs and RBI last year, has been gone since the first month of the season. Starting pitcher Ian Anderson was gone for six weeks.

But when Acuna got hurt, the front office set about the task of rebuilding the outfield for the third time this year and brought in four new outfielders. One of those outfielders (Eddie Rosario) was brought in by trade even though he was hurt and wasn’t able to play for a month.

It’s not who you play; it’s when you play them. Since the trade deadline, the Braves are 44-22. Translated over a full season, that’s a 107-win team. So this bunch that has rolled through the playoffs is not an 88-win team. It’s one that’s almost 20 games better.

Which is why it’s no surprise the Braves are in this position. Frankly, I’m a little surprised they are the underdogs. Atlanta has the best infield in baseball — all four hit 25 homers and they are unmatched defensively — and they have better pitching than Houston, both starting and relief.

But here’s what Houston has that can’t be measure by analytics: Whenever you try to count them out, they find a way. Boston had them on the ropes and the Astros came back and won the ALCS going away. It just best not to make the Astros mad.

As a Braves fan, I like the team’s chances. After all, they just beat the mighty Dodgers — and almost did it in four games. It’s just that the Astros just seem to find a way.

I think Atlanta’s going to win. I just don’t know that.