April 7 marks the day the Braves begin the quest to defend their 2021 World Series title, and Max Fried is the guy who’ll lead the charge.
The decision came down to either Fried or Charlie Morton, a pair of frontline starters that had both earned Opening Day starts, in 2021 and 2020, respectively. It was a difficult call to make for manager Brian Snitker, who has kept the pair on the same schedule for most of the spring to allow for the option of either earning the honor.
Tough as it may have been, Snitker was quick to recognize that it was a problem Atlanta was fortunate to have.
“It’s kind of like when we had [Greg] Maddux, [Tom] Glavine and [John] Smoltz,” he said Sunday. “You can’t go wrong with any of your choices.”
In the end, Fried will get the ball on Opening Day when Atlanta opens against the Reds at Truist Park.
It marks the second consecutive Opening Day nod for Fried, and he’s certainly earned the honor. After a 6-5 record and 4.71 ERA to kick off the 2021 season, the 28-year-old lefty steadily gained steam and had MLB’s best ERA (1.74) in the second half to complement an 11-3 record.
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