4 Best Braves Opening Day Memories of All Time

The Braves are known for making a splash, showing off their new acquisitions, or playing spoiler on Opening Day, and they've made plenty of memories, especially over their three-decade run of recent NL East supremacy.

But, which season-opening bursts of pomp and circumstance featured the best performances? These four really stand out.

4. Greg Maddux's First Opening Day as a Brave: 1993

Greg Maddux's first start following his 1992-93 free agency was typical Mad Dog brilliance, coming against his former team on Opening Day. Maddux shut the Cubs out 1-0, tossing 8.1 innings with four whiffs and three walks. He'd later start on Opening Day from 1994-96, and in 1998, 2000, and 2003 as well. Reliably the best.

3. Rick Mahler Dominates: 1982

Before the Braves became a dominant force in the '90s, they were a scrappy outfit in the '80s, known for bushy 'staches and bizarre baseball. The leader of their rotation for the decade's first half was Rick Mahler, who got the Opening Day nod from '85-'88. He started his first in 1982, and throttled the Padres 1-0, completing the contest. A squeaker as an opener -- does it get any better?

2. Fred McGriff Leads Rout: 1995

A banner season got started in banner fashion! Fred McGriff went deep twice and knocked in five (a Braves record, at the time), helping to destroy the Giants 12-5. Atlanta hammered out 17 hits, and didn't stop until they were hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy at year's end.

1. Jason Heyward's Booming Debut: 2010

Every Braves fan knows where they watched the 2010 debut of vaunted prospect Jason Heyward. In his very first at-bat (of what we were all sure would be a Hall of Fame career), Heyward delivered a monster three-run shot to set the tone against Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano. '10 represented Atlanta's return to the postseason, and this cathartic explosion about the future was the start of the whole shebang.