Braves ace Spencer Strider shrugs off Phillies fans' boos at Citizens Bank Park

Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider took the mound on Tuesday for the first of their three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. With the two teams being divisional rivals, the hard-throwing righty is not the most popular person at Citizens Bank Park.

However, he became even more hated after Strider hit Philadelphia's star, Bryce Harper, in the right elbow in the first inning. Harper exited the game and Strider was met by a roar of boos.

Despite the heckling, Strider loves pitching at the ballpark. He shrugged off the boos and other fan energy in a postgame interview with The Athletic's Jayson Stark.

"I love pitching here. I mean, where else do they chant your name? Ask how your family's doing? They seem very interested in my well being, and I appreciate that" said Strider.

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Spencer Strider does not mind his division rival's fans trying to get under his skin, he is just happy to be out there right now. He missed the entirety of the 2024 season after UCL surgery and missed the past month with a hamstring injury.

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The Phillies fans worried about Harper can rest easy. The slugger had imaging done on his elbow, which came back negative. Strider has now hit at least one batter in all three of his starts this season.

Braves ace Spencer Strider is still looking for his first win after loss to Phillies

Atlanta Braves - Spencer Strider (Photo via IMAGN)

After missing a month, this was Spencer Strider's third start of the season for the Braves. Coming into Tuesday's game against the Phillies, he had a 0-2 record and was searching for his first win of the season.

Strider pitched well, but he did not last long. He only went 4.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit while striking out seven batters. He did have four walks, which did not help the cause.

Strider did not pitch badly, but he did not get any run support, and neither did the bullpen. Atlanta's bats were kept quiet all night long as Ranger Suarez pitched a gem for six innings and the bullpen followed right behind him.

They were unable to push any runs across the board despite having the same number of hits as Philadelphia. Atlanta lost the game 2-0, dropping their record to 25-29, while the win improved Philadelphia's record to 35-19.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Jared "Bloomy" Bloom