In Austin Riley's debut game for the Atlanta Braves he hit a mammoth 438-foot home run in the fourth inning as the Braves doubled their lead and went on to win 4-0 and move above .500.
First game, first career homer for @austinriley1308. -- pic.twitter.com/DvWq1X14qB
— MLB (@MLB) May 16, 2019
While reacting on Thursday morning, John Fricke and Hugh Douglas wonder if Riley is the guy to take the Braves to the next level this season.
"The team seemed a little juiced last night," said Douglas. "I don't want to put lofty expectations on Austin Riley. I want him to grow. Last night was a great start because it takes pressure off, it buys you time."
Fricke thinks this could be something to get the Braves going in more ways than one.
"They're 22-21, floating around the .500 mark," said Fricke. "With what Riley did last night, he stole Acuña's thunder. Will this jump-start him and suddenly we get that Acuña run," Fricke questioned and continues. "Glavine, Maddux, and Smoltz talked about how they fed off each other. If you can get Acuña to bite on that, a little internal competition, is that the spark?"
