American pitcher Spencer Robert Strider, who was born on October 28, 1998, plays for the Major League Baseball (MLB) Atlanta Braves. In the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft, the Atlanta Braves selected him in the fourth round of the draft. He was a baseball player for the Clemson Tigers in college. In 2021, he made his MLB debut.
In Knoxville, Tennessee, Strider was a student at the Christian Academy of Knoxville. In the 35th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft, he was selected by the Cleveland Indians; however, he chose not to sign and instead played collegiate baseball for the Clemson Tigers at Clemson University. He participated in summer collegiate baseball in 2018 with the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Falmouth Commodores. Strider had Tommy John surgery to repair a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, which kept him out of action for the 2019 campaign. After recovering from his injuries in 2020, he was selected in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves, with whom he signed.
Strider played parts of 2021 for the Augusta GreenJackets, Rome Braves, Mississippi Braves, and Gwinnett Stripers in his professional debut. He had a 3-7 record, a 3.64 ERA, and 153 strikeouts in 94 innings between the four locations.
Strider was added to the Atlanta active roster on October 1, 2021. That evening, he pitched one inning of relief against the New York Mets to make his major league debut. On the penultimate day of the season, Strider triumphed over the Mets once more in relief. After finishing with an 88-73 record and winning the NL East, the Braves went on to win the 2021 World Series, their first championship since 1995.