Max Fried officially named Opening Day starter for third consecutive year

The veteran lefty has officially been given the Opening Day start for the Braves in Washington DC versus the Nationals

Veteran left-hander Max Fried has been named to his 3rd consecutive Opening Day start, the Atlanta Braves announced on Friday. 

Ready for Opening Day. 🔥@MaxFried32 | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/Ii6e3OlSKU

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 24, 2023

Fried, 29, is excited for the nod. “I was fortunate enough to start opening day for the last couple years, and I think the first time, it was definitely emotional, kind of had a lot of those feelings,” Fried said. “I feel like every time you take that first start of the season, you have those feelings no matter what, whether it’s the first game or the fifth game. You get those butterflies again because you know baseball’s back.”

READ: What a Max Fried extension with the Atlanta Braves might look like

His last two Opening Day starts have both been losses for the Braves: In 2021, he took the ball for game one at Philadelphia and gave the Braves five innings of two-run ball with two walks and eight strikeouts. Fried's effort was matched by only two runs allowed by Phillies starter Aaron Nola in a game that was eventually won 3-2 by the Phillies with an unearned run in the 10th after Bryce Harper, who started the game on 2nd base as the "ghost runner", was driven in by a Jean Segura single to left field. 

In 2022, Fried gave up eight hits and five runs in 5.2 innings at home versus Cincinnati, a 6-3 loss. The Braves started off the 2022 season poorly, with a 10-12 record before rebounding to finish the year with 101 wins and yet another NL East title. 

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