Consistent Braves mainstay Teheran announces retirement
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NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Three Hall of Famers made more Opening Day starts for the Braves. But throughout the franchise’s long, illustrious pitching-rich history nobody started more consecutive season openers than Julio Teheran.
So, when Teheran decided to officially announce his retirement while representing his native Colombia during the World Baseball Classic on Monday, it wasn’t necessarily surprising to hear what he treasured most from his career.
“Having the ball in all of the Opening Days was very special,” Teheran said. “It was my biggest challenge year after year. It's what kept me with that hunger year after year. I wanted to be the number one representative, especially of the organization of the Atlanta Braves.”
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Teheran went 81-82 with a 3.85 ERA during his 13-season big league career. He ended his final years with the Angels (2020), Tigers (2021), Brewers (2023) and Mets (2024). But he’ll forever be remembered as the Braves’ top starter throughout the 2010s.
Though he debuted as a 20-year-old in 2011, Teheran didn’t gain a lasting spot in the Majors until 2013. He went 14-8 with a 3.20 ERA that season and helped the Braves win their first NL East title since 2005. He finished fifth in balloting for the NL Rookie of the Year, which was won that year by the Marlins’ José Fernández.
Spring Training injuries suffered by Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy led to Teheran gaining his first Opening Day start in 2014. He became Atlanta’s ace through the rebuild that followed that season and ended up making a sixth consecutive Opening Day start for Atlanta in 2019.
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Hall of Famers Warren Spahn (10), Phil Niekro (8) and Greg Maddux (7) all made more Opening Day starts for the Braves than Teheran. But Spahn (1957-62) stands as the only other pitcher to start six straight season openers in franchise history.
Teheran was a model of consistency as he made 30-plus starts during each of his seven full seasons with Atlanta.
From 2013-2019, he totaled 1,334 innings and 1,169 strikeouts. Only three other right-handers matched those numbers in that span: Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke.
Teheran made just 22 starts from 2020-2024. Coincidently, his final big league start came as he pitched for the Mets in Atlanta on April 8, 2024. He battled arm discomfort over the latter part of his career. Shoulder discomfort prevented him from making his scheduled start against Canada on Saturday.