This makes me so sad", "Crushed... Who's going to step up this year?" - Atlanta Braves fans devastated by news of 2021 postseason hero Tyler Matzek undergoing Tommy John surgery, will miss 2022 playoff run

The Atlanta Braves will be without their lefty relief pitcher, Tyler Matzek, for the postseason and the entirety of the 2023 season. He will be undergoing Tommy John surgery after feeling discomfort in his elbow at the end of the season. The loss is a massive blow for the Braves in the postseason.

Matzek was a hero for the Braves in their World Series title run last year. He has a postseason career record of 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA in 20 games appeared in. He's been nothing but dominant in the postseason.

Atlanta fans are devastated after hearing they won't have their lefty for the playoffs and the 2023 season. Losing any relief pitcher in the postseason is huge, but not many performed like Matzek did. Fans are wondering who will step up next in this Atlanta Braves' rotation to fill Matzek's shoes.

Some fans are wishing Matzek a speedy recovery and are hopeful he will return in 2024 as a stronger pitcher. They noticed that his velocity had dropped this year and figured something was wrong.

Other fans are questioning why it took the Atlanta Braves until the end of the regular season to look at Matzek. With his velocity being down for the majority of the year, the Braves could have had him checked out earlier. Now that he will have Tommy John late in the season, he won't be available for next year.

The Atlanta Braves need to shake the rust off

The Braves dropped their first game of the NLDS to the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday with a score of 6-7. The bye in the Wild Card didn't seem to do them too many favors. With time off since their last regular-season game, they didn't find their groove until the middle of the game against the Phillies.

They almost made a spectacular comeback, scoring three runs in the ninth inning. However, the rally fell short as they didn't get that last run across the plate.

Atlanta Braves' ace Max Fried didn't have a great outing on the mound. He only pitched 3.1 innings, giving up eight hits and six runs. It was surprising for someone who is ranked seventh in the league in the regular season ERA with a 2.48 ERA.

The Braves will look to bounce back in game two of the NLDS on Wednesday evening.

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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