Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider didn’t want to leave his Game 1 start in the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Strider was removed from the game as the Braves trailed the Phillies 2-0. Philadelphia would get one more run and win the game 3-0. Strider, one of the favorites for the National League Cy Young Award, was seen in the dugout having an animated conversation with pitching coach Rick Kranitz before his removal. He had eight strikeouts in seven innings and only threw 94 pitches.
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The star pitcher explained the heated moment after the game.
“I was just having a personal conversation with him,” Strider said, via the New York Post. “Unfortunately for me, sometimes my conversations are on camera, and I’m guilty of showing emotion when I speak at times.
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“So yeah, I mean, just having a conversation with Kranny. Some of it wasn’t even about baseball.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker said Strider wanted to stay in the game and downplayed the emotional moment.
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“He told me he wanted to stay – he does every time I go through it,” Snitker explained. “‘How many starts did you make this year?’ Every time he comes out of the game, most of the time, he’s yelling at me that he wants to stay. And he said, ‘I’m good, I’m good.’
“He did his job. He did a great job. And there wasn’t any reason to continue to push him.… The adrenaline gets going. These guys are competitors. I wouldn’t expect him just to come in a game like that and want to come out of the game.”
Strider made 32 starts this season and faced 763 batters in total. He led the majors with 281 strikeouts. He also posted a 3.86 ERA.
With the loss, Strider is going to be even more important for the Braves later in the series.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.