By the end it all seemed so obvious. Of course, it was going to be Max Fried’s night. The Atlanta Braves celebrated without reservation on the Minute Maid Park infield, but of course it was going to happen that way. Of course Fried, the Braves lefty, with an impressive 7-0 regular season record since the start of August, was going to get it done. Of course, that laser-guided four-seamer and that tight, dipping curve were going to be the antidote to the Houston Astros array of hitters and the catalyst to wrap things up, right here. As the Braves let the reality of their first World Series title since 1995 sink in, it was easy to forget all the doubt and concern that had come before, all the wondering if Fried, the regular season phenom, would translate to Fried, the icy-veined title clincher. He stumbled in Game 2 of the World Series, allowing six runs in five innings and also in his previous outing, when the Californian’s chance to close out the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers – in front of a bunch of friends and family members – fell apart to the tune of eight hits and five quick runs. Prior to Tuesday, there was talk online and from former Braves outfielder Matt Diaz that Fried was tipping his pitches with an unwitting flare of the glove and there was even an instant setback and an almighty scare, when Astros No. 2-hitter Michael Brantley spiked Fried’s foot during a play at first in the opening inning. Atlanta nerves were jangling at that point. Perhaps we should have listened to Fried himself. “Honestly, ready to go,” Fried said before the game when asked how he was feeling. “Nothing to hold back.” He didn’t. Jorge Soler’s monstrous three-run dinger to break it open was the highlight-reel moment that will survive into eternity but this was every bit as much Fried’s time, his calm demeanor and electrifying pitches lending sudden certainty to what was an unpredictable old series. In Game 5 back in Atlanta, a four-run lead never seemed likely to be enough, not with it being a bullpen game. This one was different, and as soon as the Braves got on the board thanks to Soler, you felt the job was close to being done. “An incredible performance when we needed it the most,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said, of Fried. It was a performance that lasted six innings, featured six strikeouts, four hits and zero walks. It could have continued had Braves manager Brian Snitker not had his three-pronged cadre of lefties to bring them down the stretch. It was the kind of outing you’d expect from someone as dominant as Fried was during the latter part of the campaign but an extraordinary one form a player whose previous two games were far from dominant. It prompted comparisons to Tom Glavine, who was magnificent for eight innings in Game 6 to secure the 1995 World Series as those Braves hung on for a 1-0 triumph. Fried wasn’t interested in comparisons. After all, there was a title to celebrate. “I’m just happy to be able to win the game for these guys,” Fried told reporters. “I knew I had to go out there and leave everything I have and just try to finish it off. “You just got to dig deep. I had a lot of great (teammates) who threw their support behind me the last couple of days, just sending me texts and telling me how much they believed in me.” The Braves were supposedly out of it at the All-Star break but kept on looking to add pieces and never let their faith waver. In a season where the San Francisco Giants had everyone cooing as they stacked up victories, it turned out to be an 88-win squad from the weakest division in baseball that got it done when it had to. There was history to make the Atlanta fan base nervous. Game 6 heartbreak befell the Braves in the 1991 and 1996 World Series, and there were also those recent Atlanta sports collapses – the Braves surrendering a 3-1 NLCS lead last year, the Falcons’ Super Bowl disaster, and more. It needed someone to soothe the soul. Fried was that guy. “That monster that was on the mound tonight, that was a different monster,” three-time World Series champion David Ortiz said on the FOX broadcast. As the Braves celebration went deep into the night and Minute Maid Park began to rapidly clear, Fried’s father bent down to collect some dirt for posterity, a sweet memento of the night his son pitched an absolute beauty to win the World Series. One of the best in baseball, getting it done when he had to. Of course he did. Here’s what others have said … Chris Broussard, FOX Sports: “The Braves won the World Series with the fewest wins in a 162-game season outside of the 1987 Minnesota Twins. This was just fantastic. It was storybook, it doesn’t get any better than this.” Emma Baccellieri, Sports Illustrated: “In a World Series where no starter had previously completed more than five innings, prompting much discussion about the role of the starting pitcher, Fried’s outing felt like a firm rejoinder: There is still plenty of room in modern baseball for a starter to be not just the undisputed star of a game but also its director. Fried was the most dazzling player on the field Tuesday.” Travis d’Arnaud, Atlanta Braves: “After his last start, he was upset with his performance, and each day, he wanted the ball to show the world what he was capable of and who he really is.” |
