Twenty-two batters.
That's how long it took before the Braves struck out for the first time this season, as Freddie Freeman swing through an 87-mph changeup from Hector Alvarez in the sixth inning of Monday's 2-1 win in Miami.
One game does not a season make, but for those who cringed in watching Atlanta finish in the top four in Ks in each of the last four seasons, it seemed a revelation.
Case in point: a year ago, Atlanta whiffed four times in the first six innings of the season opener.
Amid the changes the Braves made under the direction of John Hart -- which, on the offensive side, included unloading 72.3 percent o their home runs and 61.8 percent of their RBI -- there was an overwhelming change in the offensive philosophy.
Gone were the biggest culprits in the Braves' all-or-nothing, strikeout heavy lineup, headlined by Melvin Upton Jr. -- formerly B.J. -- who fanned a franchise record 173 times in '14, while brother Justin was two behind.
The new emphasis was on contact behind hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and on manufacturing runs.
The Braves' front office has dealt with more than its share of backlash this offseason. To recap, it's included trading Evan Gattis, Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and most recently, Melvin Upton and Craig Kimbrel.
That mass exodus of so many of the pieces that helped it capture a National League East title in 2012 expectedly led to projections that Atlanta would finish no better than fourth in the five-team division. Most power rankings have the Braves hovering around 29th, with the Phillies the only team that's consistently rated lower.
It's a long season, a 162-game crawl, and winning on a Monday in Miami won't be enough to quiet anyone questioning the direction of this franchise. But small ball, the brand of play the Braves promised all spring long, was on full display.
Granted, the Braves did finish with the overall number of Ks (seven) that it had in its first game of 2014, but none of them came with a runner in scoring position and Atlanta manufactured both of its runs.
Rookie second baseman Jace Peterson singled in the first inning before scoring on a Nick Markakis base hit, then he laid down a sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning to move Eric Young Jr. to third base. Young would score on fielder's choice grounder via Markakis a batter later.
"That's the way we're going to have to create runs," said manager Fredi Gonzalez.
Most of the biggest prizes from Atlanta's makeover aren't expected to reach the big leagues any time soon.
Granted, Peterson is already making an impact, going 1 for 3, and right-handed Mike Foltynewicz (the team's third-rated prospect by MLB.com), who was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett two days ago, is probably the next closest, but as for the rest of the litany of prospects acquired in that flurry of deals?
Second-ranked Matt Wisler, No. 6 Max Fried, No. 7 Rio Ruiz, No. 11 Tyrell Jenkins, No. 12 Manny Banuelos, No. 17 Mallex Smith, No. 18 Dustin Peterson, No. 21 Andrew Thurman, No. 22 Jose Briceno, and No. 24 Jordan Paroubeck are all more likely to play in SunTrust Park (opening in 2017) than they are Turner Field.
Having 11 of your top 30 prospects be the benefits reaped by trading a combined seven All-Star appearances, two Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves can be hard for fans to swallow. It's a point Hart gets, as he said Sunday after dealing the popular Kimbrel:
"I've dealt players that I've had close relationships with, or guys that have been exceptionally popular within the community, and it's a hard thing to do -- so trust me, I understand," he said. "I understand completely the fans' piece of it. I know that there's going to be a lot of unhappy fans because of it. But my hope is they'll take a look at all the things that we have going on, where we were, and ultimately where we think we can get to, and sometimes you've got to make these tough calls to do that."
For the remaining Braves and their fanbase, it was an offseason full of those "tough calls." How the team responded less than 24 hours after Kimbrel's stunning trade can't be emphasized enough.
We won't know for years whether the Hart/John Coppolella vision for this franchise is ultimately a success or failure. But it's hard to argue that this first taste of revamped Braves didn't do exactly what it was designed to.
That it came with a win after all the upheaval had to feel that much sweeter for Atlanta's powers that be.
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney
