ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried pitched three-hit ball over 8 2/3 innings to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 3-0 victory over Kansas City on Friday night, but the Royals still got a chance to celebrate their first postseason berth since 2015. Kansas City locked up an American League wild card when Minnesota lost to Baltimore 7-2, setting off a delayed celebration in the visitors' clubhouse at Truist Park. It was a big night, too, for the Braves, who pulled even with the Mets in the NL wild-card race when New York lost 8-4 at Milwaukee.
The NL East rivals are set to play a doubleheader Monday in Atlanta — a day after the scheduled end of the regular season — to make up two games that were washed out this week by heavy rain from Hurricane Helene. Sean Murphy hit a two-run homer and Marcell Ozuna trotted home on a throwing error after his first stolen base since 2022 for the Braves, who began the night also trailing Arizona by one game in the wild-card standings. The Diamondbacks were hosting the San Diego Padres, with only two spots available for the three contending teams.
“This is a big game, obviously. Every game counts,” Fried said. “Knowing that this potentially could be the last game that I pitched this season, I just wanted to do everything I could to leave everything out there and try to win.
” The Royals came in with their magic number at one to clinch their first playoff appearance since winning the 2015 World Series. They failed to take care of business themselves.