ATLANTA — The magnitude of the moment, for himself and his team, wasn’t lost on Max Fried.
The 30-year-old left-hander walked off the mound at Truist Park on Friday night just shy of a complete game — but not short of the all-out pitching performance he had targeted in a pivotal game for the Atlanta Braves as they chase one of the final two playoff berths remaining in the National League.
Fried allowed three hits while going 8 2/3 innings to lead the Braves to a 3-0 victory in the opener to a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals, who still got a chance to pop the corks on their first postseason berth since winning the 2015 World Series.
Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy hit a two-run homer and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna trotted home on a throwing error after his first stolen base since 2022, and it was more than enough offense for Fried (11-10), who struck out nine batters and walked two.
“This is a big game, obviously. Every game counts,” said Fried, who came close to what would have been his third complete game of 2024. “Knowing that this potentially could be the last game that I pitched this season, I just wanted to do everything I could to leave everything out there and try to win.”