NORTH PORT, Fla. -- What does it feel like when you conclude the first inning you've pitched in nearly a full calendar year with consecutive strikeouts, the second of which was registered with a 98 mph fastball?
¡°After the first inning, it was a rare emotional moment for me on the field, where I was happy instead of just angry with the world,¡± Braves right-hander Spencer Strider said. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a good feeling.¡±
Everyone affiliated with the Braves was feeling good when Strider took the mound in a 2-1 loss to the Red Sox on Monday afternoon at CoolToday Park. The Grapefruit League contest marked as his first game action since his right ulnar collateral ligament was surgically repaired in April 2024. But there were absolutely no signs of rust as Strider struck out six of the eight batters he faced -- including five consecutively -- over 2 2/3 perfect innings.
¡°Let¡¯s face it, he¡¯s still the best pitcher on this team,¡± 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale said. ¡°There¡¯s no question about that.¡±
That¡¯s some lofty praise from the guy who won the National League Triple Crown by leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225).
¡°I know he¡¯s delusional and we deal with that every day,¡± Strider playfully said of his accomplished veteran teammate.
But thoughts of Strider being one of the game¡¯s most electric and dominating pitchers are anything but delusional. He led MLB with 483 strikeouts from 2022-23. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole ranked second with 479 strikeouts, which he tallied in 91 1/3 more innings.
When an internal brace was inserted into Strider¡¯s right elbow to repair his UCL, the hope was that he would eventually regain that same level of dominance. Seeing him prove this dominant while pitching in a big league game for the first time since April 5 might have seemed unrealistic.
But there was Strider, needing just 27 pitches (23 strikes) to retire each of the eight Red Sox he faced on Monday. He ended his seven-pitch first inning with consecutive three-pitch strikeouts of Vaughn Grissom and Roman Anthony.
¡°Velocity is kind of the last piece for me,¡± Strider said. ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯d like to have a slow build with. But it still felt like the ball was getting on guys. It¡¯s Spring Training, but that was definitely a good one.¡±
After breezing through the first inning, Strider ended the second inning by fanning Romy Gonzalez with a 97 mph fastball. The efficient innings gave him a chance to move toward his 30-pitch goal by working into the third inning.
If Strider was already this good, why might he need to wait until the second half of April to rejoin Atlanta¡¯s rotation?
¡°We need to be calm and not get ahead of ourselves,¡± Strider said. ¡°Like with today, it¡¯s an easy one to say, 'Well, I can pitch in a game right now,¡¯ you know, and just start running. But that's a little over aggressive. It's a long run to where we want to go, and that's ultimately when I want to be my best for the team.¡±
Once Strider is activated from the injured list, he would team with Sale, Reynaldo L¨®pez and Spencer Schwellenbach to fill the rotation¡¯s first four spots. AJ Smith-Shawver, Ian Anderson and Grant Holmes are the top candidates for the fifth spot.
¡°[Strider] is potentially the most electric pitcher in the game,¡± Sale said. ¡°You add that to who we already have on this team, in this clubhouse and on this staff, it just adds to the toughness of this team.¡±
Strider¡¯s return to the mound was perfect -- well, almost. After recording the second out of the third inning, he began moving toward the Braves dugout before realizing the inning wasn¡¯t complete.
¡°I haven¡¯t pitched in a while, so I forget how many outs there are in an inning,¡± Strider said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t a math major in college, so counting to three is a big chore for me. But I knew I wasn¡¯t finishing the inning. So I got ahead of myself and forgot they had to come get me. I had to have that adult supervision.¡±
Along with the dominant stuff, the witty sense of humor is back.