Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna, and Michael Harris II all hit home runs as the Atlanta Braves secured a 12-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
Max Fried, a consistent 14-game winner in 2021 and 2022 for Atlanta, had a rough start, lasting only seven batters and walking three before being pulled in the first inning with the Braves trailing 3-2.
But the Braves didn’t let that setback bother them.
On the other side, Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola, fresh off signing a lucrative seven-year, $172 million deal, had a tough outing. He gave up homers to Albies and Olson among the 12 hits he allowed in just 4 1/3 innings.
Nola ended up conceding seven runs on a windy day in front of a crowd of 44,068, expecting a showdown between star pitchers.
The Braves’ hitters dominated Nola and the Phillies’ bullpen, racking up 19 hits in total. This came after the Braves scored seven runs in the eighth inning of the previous day’s season opener, showing their offensive prowess early in the season.
Nola’s struggles left fans in Philly disappointed, with some already expressing their frustration with boos at the ballpark and concerns about the team’s pitching staff on social media.
