ATLANTA – Max Fried will make his first opening day start for the Atlanta Braves, getting the nod in the wake of two stellar seasons.
Manager Brian Snitker told Fried on Thursday that he would have the ball in the season opener April 1, when the Braves start a three-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Fried went 7-0 with a 2.25 ERA last season, finishing fifth in the National League Cy Young Award balloting after he established himself as Atlanta’s ace when Mike Soroka went down with a torn Achilles’ tendon. The 27-year-old left-hander’s breakout season came two years ago, when he posted a 17-6 record after moving into the rotation early in the schedule.
“It’s been really neat to be with Max through this whole run, to watch him mature and become the pitcher that he is,” Snitker said.
With Soroka – who started on opening day last year – still rehabbing from his injury, Fried was the logical choice to get the nod next Thursday, when the Phillies will counter with Aaron Nola, a 27-year-old right-hander who was an All-Star in 2018, when he went 17-6.