Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider returned to the mound Monday after almost a year away, and he didn’t disappoint. Throwing 2⅔ perfect innings against the Boston Red Sox, Strider struck out six of eight batters faced.
Strider’s outing was exceptional, with two three-pitch strikeouts in his first inning. He finished off former teammate Vaughn Grissom with a slider and then whipped a 98 mph fastball past Roman Anthony for strike three. In the second inning, he deployed different pitches to close out the side against three Boston hitters.
Strider had elbow surgery last April after being diagnosed with damage to his ulnar collateral ligament. He was one of the favorites to win the NL Cy Young Award this season before undergoing surgery. With his spring training debut, Strider is working towards rejoining the Braves’ rotation, possibly in mid- or late April.
Chris Sale was announced as the Braves’ Opening Day starter earlier Monday, but he praised Strider’s dynamic pitching style. “He’s still the best pitcher on this team,” Sale said. Strider responded by saying, “I am certainly appreciative of that statement, but I don’t agree with it.”
The Braves have a competitive NL East, and Strider’s return could be a game-changer. He has been welcomed warmly by fans and has shown an impressive mix of pitches in his debut outing. With the help of adult supervision (he joked about forgetting how many outs there are), Strider seems to have a lot of the pitching part down already.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44292033/braves-spencer-strider-strikes-6-8-batters-spring-debut