Atlanta Braves: The Sunday matchup you’ll need to see – Paul Byrd vs The Freeze

Jeff Schafer

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 01: The Freeze races around the outfield after the fifth inning of the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers at SunTrust Park on August 1, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

It’s on — Sunday, September 24, 2017 — Byrd vs Freeze

In the middle of the 6th inning of Sunday’s ball game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, we’ll all witness the heavyweight bout we’ve waited so long to see!

The game at SunTrust Park starts at 1:35pm ET so probably around 3:00pm – 3:30pm we’ll see the race between Paul Byrd and The Freeze.

Once the two Braves girls wave those white flags, Byrd will be off and running. He’s trained extremely hard for this and he’ll be ready to go. Byrd will need that head start because the Freeze is coming.

Byrd will get to the 375 mark on the outfield wall and then the Freeze will be off and running. Byrd was never known for his speed — Freeze however is. Byrd always had a mid 80’s fastball that never feared hitters.

He’ll need to stay consistent with his speed and not try to sprint at the start.

Does the 46-year-old former pitcher actually have a shot against the 26-year-old speedster?

Nigel Talton, the Freeze’s real name, against Paul Gregory Byrd. I don’t know…Talton may catch Byrd by centerfield. The Freeze may even be able to run backwards a little.

Your money has to be on Talton, but it would be amazing to see Byrd somehow win this race.

This race kinda reminds me of the Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather fight. You wanted to see McGregor somehow win, but you knew Mayweather was going to.

Sunday: @PaulByrd36 vs. @BeatThaFreeze pic.twitter.com/BcljltnxUo
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 21, 2017

The trash talking is like no other. I’ve laughed a few times now at this and applaud the Atlanta Braves for promoting this and doing it.

Here’s Talton hyping it up on twitter…

.@BeatThaFreeze has a message for you, @PaulByrd36. #ByrdVsFreeze pic.twitter.com/91kAZsueNK
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 23, 2017

This preview is FAKE NEWS!!! My forehead is not that big. https://t.co/sMMvGnN0Hy
— Paul Byrd (@PaulByrd36) September 22, 2017

Hey @PaulByrd36, here's a preview for you. Seeya Sunday 😎❄️ pic.twitter.com/HlMzdFHjo1
— The Freeze (@BeatTheFreeze) September 22, 2017

Byrd isn’t backing down. He’s running with race horses, he’s waking up early — well, at 11am and he’s training his butt off.

You've heard of #SharkWeek - well this is #ByrdWeek. Except instead of @MichaelPhelps NOT racing a shark, it's @PaulByrd36 vs @BeatThaFreeze pic.twitter.com/WOCL0XZVFH
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 22, 2017

You got a better chance against the horse, homie 😏 pic.twitter.com/cntePpOKQm
— The Freeze (@BeatTheFreeze) September 22, 2017

It's 11:00 a.m. in @Braves Country - you know what that means...

WAKE UP, @PaulByrd36! It's time to train! #ByrdVsFreeze pic.twitter.com/yjq73PZtuF
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 22, 2017

Next: Braves Mike Foltynewicz done for the year?

Who yal got? The speed-man or the old-man?

Jeff Schafer

"Playing baseball is not real life. It's a fantasy world... It's a dream come true." - Dale Murphy......Jeff began playing baseball at a young age and has continued to play the great game ever since. He attended Pfeiffer University on a baseball scholarship but after getting injured his sophomore season, he decided to transfer to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he became President of the Club Baseball team.Jeff is an Emmy Award winning Producer with great knowledge of baseball as well as insight of the game. He is always looking for the story no one else is covering or possible leads from popular stories.