Walt Weiss Reflects on First Win as Braves Manager

It's been nearly 10 years since the last time Walt Weiss arrived for opening day in the position of manager. His last game at the helm came on Oct. 2, 2016. It's been 3,463 days to be exact.

The Rockies lost 6-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers in 10 innings to cap off what was potentially all she wrote for his time as a major league skipper. Having that chapter in the review mirror didn't cause Weiss to lose sleep at night.

"I was OK with that, quite frankly," Weiss said ahead of first pitch on Friday. "I wasn't that guy who was sitting around looking for the next managing opportunity. As a matter of fact, I turned down some interviews over the past several years. If I was going to do it again, this is about as good as it gets."

He certainly came into this tenure more equipped. This time around, he comes in with eight years of experience as a bench coach for the Atlanta Braves under Brian Snitker. While there is always something new to learn, way less of it will be on the job.

"Very different this time around," he said. "I haven't been coaching high school football for the last four years."

Sure enough, the Braves pick up their first win with him back in charge. The offense came alive to take down the Kansas City Royals, 6-0, on Friday night. The team made sure to take a moment to celebrate the occasion.

While it's normally reserved for the player of the game, Weiss was given the honor of taking the putt in the clubhouse. It's exactly how it sounds. You're given a putter, and you have to nail a shot from what he estimated to be 30 or 40 feet away.

Did he nail it? He answered that question best in his own words.

"You know I would have said I made it if I did," Weiss said with a chuckle after the win.

Joking and celebrations aside, it's an important moment for him. He's back in a position he didn't expect to have with an organization he knows very well. Along with the time as a bench coach, he was the Braves' shortstop from 1998 to 2000. He made his lone All-Star team wearing this same uniform. He put a bow on his playing career down in Atlanta at Turner Field.

He knows what it's like to be in the presence of not just Brian Snitker, who has been with the Braves for 50 years, but with Bobby Cox, a living legend in Atlanta. Weiss is the latest in line with a deep connection to this team who gets the rare chance to manage it.

"Before the game, you start to think about the people who came before you, and it's a little overwhelming, but I don't take this responsibility lightly. Sitting in this seat that I'm in, with this uniform on. It's really, really special."

There was the chance to bring in someone from the outside for a change of pace. The Braves took the chance to see what change could come from within. So far so good.

Weiss also comes with a rapport that no other potential would have been able to bring. The clubhouse knows him well. They've been along side him just along as they had been with Snitker. It provides some extra motivation when there is that personal touch.

"We all really enjoy fighting for him, because we know he's fighting for us," Chris Sale said after the game.

That's one game in the books. There's 161 left to go for the marathon that is the MLB season. There will be highs and lows regardless of the overall picture. It's impossible for it to be any other way. It doesn't hurt to get a major hurdle out of the way. He's picked up a win. It can be done. Time to get another.