Opening Day is just one game on one day, but getting the start on Opening Day is special. For the Atlanta Braves in particular, getting the honor is uniquely special given the sheer quality of pitchers that have worn a Braves uniform during the history of the franchise.
Here is a quick look at the history of Opening Day starters for the Braves and who amongst them have appeared during the season opener the most.
Braves aces lead the way on Opening Day
Since 1901, 56 different starters have toed the rubber on Opening Day for the Braves, and five of them ended up in the Hall of Fame.
- Warren Spahn’s record 10 Opening Day starts took place before the club moved to Atlanta. Hall of Famer
- Phil Niekro made all of his eight starts with Atlanta, as did fellow Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, who made seven starts for third place.
- Julio Teheran started every opening day from 2015 through 2019, and those six starts put him in fourth place.
- John Smoltz and Tom Glavine each made four starts with Atlanta, tying them with Johnny Sain, Al Javery, and Dick Rudolph.
- Max Fried, Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Brandt, Irv Young, and Vic Willis are tied with three starts each.
- Six pitchers made two starts, and 41 others, including Kid Nichols, made one start.
Let’s Visit Our Friends in Philadelphia!
It makes sense that the Braves would have opened the season more against the other original franchises, but that’s not the case. The Braves opened 29 seasons against the Phillies (13-16), 23 seasons against the Giants (10-13), 21 seasons against the Dodgers (10-11), and 11 seasons facing the Reds (6-5). However, they’ve faced the Astros eight times (1-7) and the Expos/Nationals six times (3-3), more often than the Pirates and Cubs, who've done it only five times each (3-2 and 4-1).
The Mets opened against the Braves four times and won all four, and, oddest of all, the Braves have started the season against the Brewers (1-1) and Marlins (1-1) as often as they’ve seen Cardinals (0-2).
The Braves opened the 2000 season by beating the Rockies in Atlanta, leaving the Diamondbacks as the only NL team that haven’t opened the season against Atlanta.
That’s a Wrap
Opening the season with a win isn’t an indication of success to come, and having your tokus handed to you isn’t a harbinger of doom. The Braves have an excellent chance to reach another World Series either way…still, it’s better to start with a win, so let’s do that!