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Spencer Strider Brings the Heat in Return, but Braves Trail in Toronto

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Lentz | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 3:23 PM ET

In his first start since a UCL injury shut him down in 2024, Spencer Strider didn’t just return to the Atlanta Braves rotation — he stormed back with the kind of high-octane dominance that made him one of baseball’s premier strikeout artists.

Touching 97.9 mph with his fastball and punching out 13 Blue Jays over 5.2 innings, Strider was back on the mound, back in rhythm, and back to looking like the ace Atlanta desperately missed.

The day belonged to Strider.

From the jump, Strider looked locked in.

The 25-year-old righty fired 97 pitches, 58 of them fastballs that averaged 95.4 mph and maxed out just a tick under 98. He mixed in a devastating slider (30% usage, 64% whiff rate) and an occasional changeup and curveball to keep Toronto’s hitters guessing. The final line: 5.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 13 strikeouts, 1 walk.

Strider’s outing included a barrage of swing-and-miss — 13 whiffs in total — as he attacked all quadrants of the zone with confidence. He threw 44% of his pitches in the zone and forced an impressive 70% zone swing rate, a sign he was challenging hitters with conviction.

Strider’s return was a massive win in the long run. After missing almost a full calendar year and rehabbing through a brace procedure rather than Tommy John surgery, the flamethrower was in vintage form.

His fastball showed elite vertical break, his slider featured sharp two-plane movement, and his command — both in the zone and of his pitch mix — looked midseason ready. There was no tentative pacing, no pitch-count-driven rust. This was Strider, unleashed.

If Wednesday’s start is the baseline, the Braves’ ceiling just got a lot higher.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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