ATLANTA — As he walked off the field to a resounding standing ovation with two out in the ninth inning, Max Fried’s mind was racing, the emotions swirling. He knew he had done everything in his power to help the Atlanta Braves win a critical game, and also that it might be the last time he pitches at Truist Park in an Atlanta uniform.
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind,” Fried said after pitching 8 2/3 dominant innings Friday against the Kansas City Royals. The 3-0 helped the Braves pull even with the New York Mets in the NL wild-card standings with four games left, including a makeup doubleheader Monday against the Mets.
The Braves were a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks — the other team they’re competing against for one of two wild-card openings — pending the outcome of the Diamondbacks’ late game Friday against San Diego.
“I hope that I have many more (home starts) deep in the playoffs and that we go as far as we can and hopefully win the whole thing,” Fried said. “But, yeah, walking off and hearing that, it was emotional. I’m extremely thankful and very grateful.”
Max Fried pitched an absolute gem against Kansas City, coming within one out of a two-hit shutout before giving up a walk and a double in the ninth. He exited to a standing ovation, Iglesias entered and got the last out on one pitch to complete a 3-0 #Braves win.
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) September 28, 2024
Fried, unsigned beyond this season and eligible for free agency this fall, came within one out of pitching what would’ve been his MLB-leading second shutout of the season.
But after a two-out walk in the ninth by Bobby Witt Jr. and a double by Michael Massey, Fried settled for a splendid outing — three hits, two walks, nine strikeouts — that was his third start of eight or more scoreless innings this season, tied for most in the majors with Seattle’s Luis Castillo.
“He was on a mission,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I mean, he came out of the seventh and was kind of like, ‘I feel good, and do what you got to do.’ And he came off after the eighth and says, ‘I’m good.’ Like, ‘I want this.’ And I’m saying, well go ahead, you know?”
Fried needed just nine pitches in that two-strikeout perfect eighth inning.
Asked about Fried excelling when the Braves needed it most, Snitker said, “We’ve seen Max do that how many times? Just come up big when you need him, just have a game of his life again. And you can pretty much tell. I saw that first inning and I was thinking, well, this is going to be a good one. He had everything going.”
In a way, it worked out perfectly, since Fried handing the ball to Snitker with one out remaining allowed an adoring crowd to show its appreciation, standing in unison and applauding as Fried walked toward the dugout.
“He deserved all of it, and maybe some more,” said catcher Sean Murphy, whose two-run, two-out homer in the fourth inning off Royals starter Brady Singer provided all of the offense until the eighth inning.
“I think that’s about all he needed tonight. He didn’t need much,” Murphy said of that two-run homer, his 10th. “That was one of the better versions of Max we’ve seen this year. … I mean, you can just tell about him tonight. He was pounding the zone and going right after guys, and the pitch count was down. He was getting quick outs. Everything was rolling his way. You couldn’t ask for more.”
As Fried walked off the field, instead of keeping his head down like he normally does, he looked up at the crowd, glancing in a couple of different directions at Braves fans.
“Just thanking the fans for pushing us,” Fried said. “They motivate us a lot and make us dig deeper when we might not think that we have it. But the belief and energy helps lift us and do different things that a lot of times we didn’t think that we could do. So, in that moment, just being able to acknowledge them a little bit and say thanks.”
It took closer Raisel Iglesias just one pitch to get the final out — a Salvador Perez fly to left — and complete the Braves’ sixth win in seven games, which put them a season-high 16 games over .500.
Snitker was asked if he thought about it possibly being Fried’s final start at Truist Park for the Braves.
“Yeah, it crossed my mind before the game,” Snitker said. “This is a special place. It’s a special place to play. I’ve said this for as long as I’ve been here, and I didn’t realize it till I sat in this seat that Braves Country is real. It’s a real thing. And these people are unbelievable. Throughout the Southeast — we go all over the country and feel it.”
Snitker added, “There’s energy and adrenaline in this stadium outside of our dugout every night. It’s amazing. All summer. You know, I look up and was thinking, school’s in, and tonight’s Friday night football in high school, and to see the support from the crowds out there, man, it’s something. Those guys see that and they feel it.”
The Braves’ final run was one of the more unexpected developments of the season, coming as it did after a Marcell Ozuna stolen base, the first for the veteran since 2022 and only his third in five seasons. Ozuna, who had walked to lead off the eighth and advanced on a groundout, noticed that reliever Carlos Hernández was slow to the plate and not paying much attention to the burly DH at second base.
So, Ozuna took off for third, and Perez’s throwing error on the play allowed him to keep running and score.
“The third baseman was behind (the base), so … two outs, so I was just going,” Ozuna said, smiling afterward as he recounted the moment. “On my own. I said I’m ready, my legs are ready, I relaxed the last couple of days, let me go.”
How surprised was Snitker to see him steal third?
“As surprised as everybody else in the baseball world,” Snitker said, laughing. “They gave him the bag.”
Indeed, a clubhouse attendant got the base, which was leaning against Ozuna’s locker after the game.
“I mean, I was wondering,” Snitker said. “He had something there. He felt good about it. I wondered. But like I said, he created a run that ends up in a game like that being huge.”
Ozuna was just glad he could add a run to the lead on a night when Fried put the team on his back.
“Oh, my God, he’s amazing,” Ozuna said of Fried. “Especially when the end of the season’s coming, he’s turned it around. Different person on the mound. For me, I never doubted him. He’s one of the best. He’s amazing. Amazing person. He goes out there and grinds every single outing.”
Having two games against the New York Mets postponed Wednesday and Thursday by torrential rain and the approaching Hurricane Helene had the potential to be a setback for the Braves, who had won five of six and finally had some offensive flow before the soggy pause in play.
It was also unwelcome for the Mets, who headed off to Milwaukee after the postponements and must return to Atlanta to play one or both of those games in the doubleheader Monday — the day after the other 28 MLB teams finish their season and the day before wild-card series begin in both leagues.
Despite the loss Friday, the Royals clinched their first postseason berth since 2015 by virtue of the Minnesota Twins’ loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Two hours after the game, the Royals came on the field at empty Truist Park and celebrated in front of the visitor’s dugout.
For the Braves and Mets, the only way they won’t have to play at least one of those games on Monday is if the NL wild-card picture is settled before Monday, which is unlikely but not impossible, especially if the Braves keep pitching and winning like they did when they resumed play Friday night.
Murphy had his take on the situation, a way to turn the oddity into a positive.
“I think it’s an opportunity to be involved in something weirder, goofier, unprecedented,” he said. “You know, I think a potential doubleheader before the playoffs is kind of fun. And, yeah, I think embracing it is the one thing you can do.”
(Photo of Max Fried: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
