Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried was unable to make it through a full inning in his season debut on Saturday, and the left-hander can thank the home plate umpire for that.
Fried gave up two hits, three walks and three earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning in Atlanta’s 12-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He should have at least made it past the first inning, however.
Fried had a 2-2 count with the bases loaded and two outs against Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos. Fried threw a fastball right down the middle of the plate, and Castellanos watched it go by. Home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman called the pitch a ball.
Castellanos took ball four on the next pitch, which brought home a run. Bryson Stott followed that with a single that drove in two runs, and Braves manager Brian Snitker decided to pull Fried from the game after that.
The 2-2 pitch from Fried fooled Dreckman, as it was in the top half of the strike zone. It was still clearly a strike, though, and should have gotten Fried out of a big jam.
Fried and the Braves are probably happy the call did not cost them the game, but the 30-year-old’s pitching line should have looked a lot different.
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