Spencer Strider, the Atlanta Braves fireballer just 369 days removed from undergoing his second Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery, was back on a major league mound – and making strikeout history once again.
Strider became the fastest starting pitcher to 500 career strikeouts Wednesday when he punched out Addison Barger in the fifth inning, and pitched into the sixth, showing much of the arsenal that made him one of the game’s most dynamic performers on the mound before his right elbow failed him again.
His first start of 2025 ended when Vladimir Guerrero Jr.