NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider struck out six and didn’t allow a base runner over 2 2/3 innings in his first Grapefruit League appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.
The only two Boston Red Sox batters to avoid striking out against Strider were David Hamilton and Nick Sogard. Hamilton grounded to second to start the game. Sogard led off the third inning by hitting a foul pop to third baseman Austin Riley.
Strider started just two games and went 0-0 with a 7.00 ERA last year before getting shut down for the rest of the season. That followed a 2023 season in which he went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA and a major league-leading 281 strikeouts in 186 2/3 innings.
He made the NL All-Star team and finished fourth in the Cy Young Award voting in 2023.
Strider, 26, owns a 32-10 career record and 3.47 ERA with 495 strikeouts in 329 2/3 innings. He had made just 33 major league appearances when the Braves signed him to a six-year, $75 million contract in October 2022.
