Spencer Strider

Spencer Robert Strider

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
School Clemson University
High School Christian Academy of Knoxville
Debut October 1, 2021

Born October 28, 1998 in Columbus, OH USA

Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Spencer Strider was a bit of an unknown quantity when the Atlanta Braves drafted him in the 4th round of the 2020 amateur draft. He had undergone Tommy John surgery while at Clemson University in 2019, and then only pitched 12 innings for the Tigers in 2020 before the Coronavirus pandemic ended the season prematurely. It also delayed his debut in the Braves' system until 2021, but a fastball in the triple digits made him leap through the ladders of the system that year, starting in Low-A and ending up making his major league debut on October 1st. With four different minor league teams, he went 3-7, 3.64 in 22 games, 21 of them as a starter, striking out 153 batters in 94 innings. At the big league level, he made two appearances out of the bullpen, received credit for a win, and allowed 1 run on 2 hits in 2 1/3 innings. The win came gainst the New York Mets on October 3rd, when he took over for Charlie Morton in the 3rd inning after Morton was making a short tune-up start in preparation for the postseason. The Braves already had a 2-0 lead, and he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to receive credit for the 5-0 win. He was not on the postseason roster as the Braves went on to win the 2021 World Series.

In 2022, he made the team out of spring training and began the season in the bullpen, pitching mainly in long relief and going 1-1, 2.22 in his first 11 games, with 37 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. He was moved to the starting rotation on May 30th, and while he pitched only 8 1/3 innings in his first two starts while being stretched out, he also continued to show big time stuff with 12 more strikeouts, as the Braves saw his future being as a starting pitcher. On June 15th, he amassed 11 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings in an 8-2 win over the Washington Nationals that was the 14th straight win for the suddenly red-hot Braves. In July, he succeeded teammate Michael Harris in winning Rookie of the Month honors in the National League. He went 2-1, 2.70 with 41 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings. On September 1st, he struck out 16 batters in 8 scoreless innings in defeating the Colorado Rockies, 3-0. That set a new team record since the Braves' move to Atlanta, bettering the 15 Ks achieved twice by Hall of Famer John Smoltz in 1992 and 2005; the all-time franchise record belonged to Warren Spahn, however, as he had struck out 18 opponents back in 1952 when the team was still the Boston Braves - but in a 15-inning game, so Strider now held the mark for a regulation game. He was unaware he had pitched a historic game until teammate Kyle Wright filled him in on the significance of his effort. And it wasn't just the strikeouts, as he also did not walk anyone and allowed just two hits for a game score of 94. On September 18th, he recorded his 200th strikeout of the season in only 130 innings - faster than any pitcher in National League or American League history; Randy Johnson previously held the record by doing so in 130 2/3 innings in 2001. He finished the season at 11-5, 2.67 with 202 Ks in 131 2/3 innings. On October 10th, on the eve of Game 1 of the Division Series, the Braves signed him to a six-year contract worth $75 million, following down a path they had pursued with a number of their other young stars.

On April 18, 2023, he recorded the Braves' eighth straight win in an 8-1 win over the San Diego Padres. He carried a no-hitter until the 6th inning and struck out nine over six innings. He joined John Smoltz as the only Braves pitcher to record 9 or more strikeouts in 8 straight games and took over the major league lead for strikeouts with 36. He was even better in his next start, on April 24th, as he struck out 13 and carried a no-hitter into the 8th inning in an 11-0 win over the Miami Marlins. He was perfect through the first six innings before 1B Matt Olson misplayed a tough ground ball by Jazz Chisholm to lead the 7th, being charged with an error. The no-hit bid lasted an inning longer before Jean Segura hit a single to left with one out in the 8th. On May 28th, he recorded his 100th strikeout of the season in his 61st inning, setting a new major league record, one season after having set the record for the fastest 200-strikeout season. That night, he struck out 9 batters over 6 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies and finished the game with 106 Ks, leading the majors by a comfortable margin. He recorded his 200th strikeout of the year on August 1st, after just 123 1/3 innings, breaking his own record set the year before. It came in a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels. In his final start of the season on September 30th, he reached a total of 281 strikeouts for the season, surpassing the modern franchise record of 276 set by John Smoltz in 1996. The 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals also made him the only 20-game winner in the majors that season as he finished with a record of 20-5 and an ERA of 3.86. He finished fourth in the voting for the Cy Young Award. He lost both of his postseason starts, but this time, in contrast to the previous year, he did not pitch badly: in Game 1 of the Division Series against the Phillies on October 7th, he gave up just 2 runs (one earned) in 7 innings but was charged with the 3-0 loss, then in Game 4 on October 12th, it was 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings, but a 3-1 loss as the Braves' bats were once again completely muzzled.

He was the Braves' Opening Day starter in 2024, with the game being delayed by a day until March 29th due to a rainout. He pitched 5 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up 2 runs but also picking up 8 strikeouts, and was not involved in the decision as Atlanta won, 9-3, on the road. His next start came on April 5th, which was the Braves' home opener, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had a rougher time of it, giving up 3 runs in the 1st and 5 overall in 4 innings, after which he had to leave, informing team staff that he felt discomfort in his elbow. He was immediately sent to undergo an MRI. The procedure uncovered ligament damage, but Strider decided to get a second medical opinion before resigning himself to undergoing a second Tommy John surgery. There was no escaping going under the knife, however, and he underwent the operation on April 12th, meaning his season was over.

Strider is one of the very few players in Major League Baseball to keep to a strict vegan diet.

Notable Achievements[edit]

2022 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
NL All-Star (2023)
NL Wins Leader (2023)
NL Winning Percentage Leader (2023)
NL Strikeouts Leader (2023)
15 Wins Seasons: 1 (2023)
20 Wins Seasons: 1 (2023)
200 Strikeouts Seasons: 2 (2022 & 2023)

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Spencer Strider

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