The Braves open the 2026 season at 7:15 p.m. Friday against the Royals at Truist Park.
Live updates throughout opening weekend will be here:
The Braves beat the Royals 6-0 on Friday.
Chris Sale pitches six scoreless innings and the Braves hit three home runs.
The two teams return to the diamond at 7:15 p.m. Saturday for the second game of the three-game series.
Maurico Dubon splits the gap in right for a two-run double with two outs pushing the Braves' lead to 6-0.
Chris Sale's night is done as Dylan Lee takes over in the top of the seventh.
Sale goes six innings, strikes out six, walks three and give up three hits in six scoreless innings. Sale threw 88 pitches (54 strikes), induced nine whiffs and threw 17 first-pitch strikes.
Royals starter Cole Ragans allows four earned runs (on three homers) and six hits in four innings. He struck out five and walked four.
Michael Harris II puts the Braves up 4-0 in the fourth thanks to a two-run homer into the Chop House seats in right.
Jonah Heim drew a one-out walk before Harris took a first-pitch slider and drove it 372 feet.
Drake Baldwin makes it 2-0 Braves in the third with a solo home run to right, a screamer off the bat to right that hits off the lower facade of the Chop House.
With his third strikeout Friday against the Royals, Braves starting pitcher passed Bob Feller for 31st on MLB's all-time career strikeout list. Sale now has 2,582 career strikeouts.
Warren Spahn is 30th with 2,583.
Ozzie Albies gives the Braves their first run, home run and lead of the season with a solo homer in the bottom of the first. Albies took a 2-1 changeup from Royals starter Cole Ragans and hooked it around the pole in left.
Here's more on why Albies was hitting third Friday: https://www.ajc.com/sports/2026/03/weiss-first-lineup-features-albies-hitting-third-white-starting-in-left/
Tonight, the Braves are celebrating 60 years of baseball in Atlanta.
Joe Torre, Ralph Garr, Dale Murphy, Sid Bream, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and Ronald Acuna Jr. were honored on the field as the organization celebrates six decades in Atlanta.
The Braves open the 2026 season Friday at Truist Park against the Royals.
Chris Sale will take the mound for the Braves in the organization's first game with Walt Weiss as manager.
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