Friday was the quintessential fall evening at Truist Park, from the breeze to the rowdy fans to the victorious first place-tying Braves. The venue that was so kind to the Braves during their World Series run a year ago hosted a pre-postseason tilt that beautifully masqueraded as a do-or-die contest.
And there’s two more on the way.
The Braves drew first blood in this all-important series, homering three times off Jacob deGrom to defeat the Mets 5-2. They had over 42,000 in attendance bringing the same passion and enthusiasm that helped propel them to a 7-1 home record last October.
“To get the first one is huge,” third baseman Austin Riley said after the game. Manager Brian Snitker added: “It’s a good thing to win that first one but we still have a long way to go.”
Remember when the Braves couldn’t win the big ones? When they hadn’t advanced in the postseason for 19 years? Now, they consistently deliver in those pressure-packed situations. They weren’t intimidated in the slightest by deGrom, whom they topped for the second consecutive time with Fried on the mound.
Fried was about two more innings from his own “Flu Game,” but his gutsy effort won’t go forgotten. He held the Mets to one run over five innings - and the one run was thanks to left fielder Eddie Rosario’s gaffes – but abruptly exited after throwing up in the Braves’ dugout. He’d thrown 71 pitches.
“God bless him,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said of Fried. “This team doesn’t make many excuses nor do we show any type of weakness. We battle, we go, we fight no matter what the situation is or how you feel. That’s Max. The nicest guy in the world, do anything for anybody, he’s an unbelievable friend for me and he’s just going to go out there and compete and battle no matter if he’s sick and leaning over a trash can or whether he feels great. It’s the same.”
Fried wasn’t feeling well going into his start, Snitker said, but despite a stomach bug, the southpaw still outdid deGrom, who’s looked mortal lately but remains the sport’s premier starter. The Braves will only enter the postseason further battle tested after facing deGrom and Max Scherzer, who starts Saturday, this weekend.
When Fried exited, the Braves led 2-1. It could’ve gone awry, but the Braves’ splendid bullpen did exactly what’s expected of it in the coming weeks. Their success began with Collin McHugh, who was thrown into action upon Fried’s departure and logged a scoreless sixth.
“To be able to, last minute, come out and throw well, it was a special (performance),” first baseman Matt Olson said.
Lest we forget, the relievers were why the Braves have those shiny rings on their fingers. A quartet of them – three of whom weren’t part of the 2021 run – sealed the win on Friday night. McHugh, Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter and Kenley Jansen allowed one run over four innings. Jansen won’t ease his doubters with his showing though, as the veteran had to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth. He nonetheless escaped with two strikeouts.
The Braves still have the formula that made them so exceptional last fall. They showed it Friday: Three of their five runs came via homers from Riley, Olson and Swanson. Fried showed that nasty curveball and kept hitters dumfounded until his stomach delivered the punch that the Mets couldn’t. The bullpen didn’t grant the Mets an opening until Jansen played with fire.
Truist Park showcased its SEC-like atmosphere – even as the audience prematurely celebrated twice during the final at-bat when Jansen almost struck out Tyler Naquin before finally doing so on his ninth pitch. A legitimate homefield advantage is another crucial ingredient to the Braves’ championship recipe.
“It’s how you come to expect it here,” Snitker said of the environment. “A lot of energy, place is packed. It’s like a playoff series here. It’s been packed all year with that energy.”
The Braves face Scherzer next, so there’s another tall task ahead. What another victory Saturday would mean: Braves take over sole possession of first place and even the season series at 9-9 with the Mets, which would make Sunday’s finale one of the biggest regular-season games in franchise history.
But they need to reach that point first. Friday was a positive indication.
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