It was announced over the weekend that for the first time in nearly a year, Spencer Strider would be on the mound for the Atlanta Braves. Strider was given an easier road to making his spring debut facing the split-squad Red Sox. With Boston playing two games today and Atlanta hosting, the pitcher undeniably had an easy road to make his debut. Still, Atlanta fans couldn't have hoped for a more dominating or exciting debut.
Strider finished the first inning in only seven pitches getting a groundout and back-to-back strikeouts. The dominating inning was a reminder of just what the Braves were missing last season. Strider had every reason to be dealing with rust and struggle with nerves after such a long layoff. Instead, the pitcher picked up exactly where he left off.
Strider's Return to the Atlanta Rotation Was Far More Dominating Than Expected
Strider returned to the mound for a second inning and continued the dominance striking out three straight Red Sox hitters. None of the three put up much of a fight with Strider toying with the Red Sox lineup. Out of the six batters faced in the first two innings, only one managed to put the ball in play. That was the first batter Strider faced who softly rolled the ball out to second baseman Ozzie Albies.
More important than the results, is the fact Strider's velocity and pitches looked just as dominating as prior to the pitcher's injury. Braves fans will be interested in the fact Strider has stuck with his curve, not abandoning the pitch throughout his rehab. The pitch was sharp, and Strider appeared to have full confidence in his arsenal.
Atlanta sent Strider out to start a surprise third inning based on Strider being so economical with his pitch count. The starter would pop out the first batter, with Austin Riley making a nice running catch outside of the third base foul line. Strider's day would end on the next batter after a three-pitch strikeout that would keep a perfect outing intact.
While Strider is still expected to miss the start of the Atlanta season, this was a huge step towards his impending return. One that simply couldn't have been scripted any better for the Atlanta ace.