Top 10 Braves Pitching Performances Of The Last 25 Years<\/p>\n
The Atlanta Braves<\/a> have built their modern success on a foundation of elite pitching. From John Smoltz\u2019s late-career brilliance to Max Fried\u2019s World Series dominance and Spencer Strider\u2019s record-setting strikeouts, the franchise has always had an ace ready to deliver when it mattered most.<\/p>\n Here are the ten greatest Braves<\/a> pitching performances of the 21st century \u2014 dominance defined by precision, power, and postseason poise.<\/p>\n 1. Max Fried \u2014 2021 World Series Game 6 vs. Astros Fried\u2019s six shutout innings<\/a> in Houston sealed Atlanta\u2019s first championship since 1995. He out-dueled Luis Garcia with pinpoint command and erased the ghosts of October heartbreak.<\/p>\n 6.0 IP \u2022 4 H \u2022 0 R \u2022 6 K \u2022 0 BB<\/p>\n It was the exclamation point on a postseason in which Fried showed he\u2019s every bit a modern ace. This outing cemented his place in Braves lore as the pitcher who brought a title home.<\/p>\n 2. John Smoltz \u2014 2005 NLDS Game 2 vs. Astros At 38, Smoltz turned back the clock with seven scoreless innings<\/a> in a must-win Division Series game.<\/p>\n 7.0 IP \u2022 7 H \u2022 0 R \u2022 8 K \u2022 1 BB<\/p>\n It was his final October start for Atlanta \u2014 vintage Smoltz, power and precision in perfect sync. For a generation that grew up watching the \u201890s aces, this was a reminder that Smoltz\u2019s postseason fire never dimmed.<\/p>\n 3. Spencer Strider \u2014 16 Ks vs. Rockies (2022) In his rookie year, Strider unleashed a historic performance<\/a> at Truist Park: eight innings, two hits, 16 strikeouts \u2014 a franchise rookie record.<\/p>\n 8.0 IP \u2022 2 H \u2022 0 R \u2022 16 K \u2022 0 BB<\/p>\n That outing announced a new era of Braves power pitching. It also hinted at what was to come \u2014 a future face of the rotation who could dominate a lineup with just two pitches.<\/p>\n 4. Tim Hudson \u2014 Complete-Game Gem vs. Padres (2004) Hudson\u2019s first season in Atlanta included a masterpiece<\/a> that confirmed why the Braves traded for him.<\/p>\n 9.0 IP \u2022 4 H \u2022 0 R \u2022 10 K \u2022 1 BB<\/p>\n It was classic Hudson: heavy sinker, relentless pace, quiet dominance. His ability to command tempo and ground-ball contact made him the perfect successor to the dynasty-era rotation.<\/p>\n 5. Craig Kimbrel \u2014 Rookie of the Year Season (2011) Kimbrel\u2019s 2011 season was one long highlight reel. He struck out 127 in 77 innings<\/a> and saved 46 games to clinch NL Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n 46 SV \u2022 1.04 WHIP \u2022 127 K in 77 IP<\/p>\n His playoff-berth-clinching save against the Marlins remains one of the loudest moments Turner Field ever heard. It was the beginning of a dominant stretch that made Kimbrel one of baseball\u2019s all-time great closers.<\/p>\n 6. Mike Foltynewicz \u2014 2-Hit Shutout vs. Nationals (2018) Folty\u2019s 11-strikeout<\/a> masterpiece against Washington was his peak in a breakout All-Star season.<\/p>\n 9.0 IP \u2022 2 H \u2022 0 R \u2022 11 K \u2022 1 BB<\/p>\n It symbolized the resurgence of Braves pitching during their first new-era division title run. For one night, everything \u2014 velocity, command, emotion \u2014 clicked in perfect harmony.<\/p>\n 7. Jair Jurrjens \u2014 8 Scoreless vs. Phillies (2009) Facing the defending champions, Jurrjens delivered eight shutout innings<\/a> with pinpoint control.<\/p>\n 8.0 IP \u2022 3 H \u2022 0 R \u2022 6 K \u2022 2 BB<\/p>\n It was the highlight of his 14-win All-Star campaign and proof he could hang with the NL elite. Though injuries shortened his career, nights like this showed how talented he truly was.<\/p>\n 8. Max Fried \u2014 Complete-Game Shutout vs. Mets (2023) Two years after his World Series heroics, Fried dominated New York with an efficient 109-pitch shutout<\/a>.<\/p>\n 9.0 IP \u2022 3 H \u2022 0 R \u2022 8 K \u2022 0 BB<\/p>\n It reaffirmed his ace status after an injury-marred start to the season. Performances like this proved that even in the post-Smoltz era, Atlanta\u2019s tradition of true No. 1 starters continues.<\/p>\n 9. Spencer Strider \u2014 13 Ks vs. Marlins (2023) Strider followed up his rookie year with another gem \u2014 seven scoreless<\/a> and 13 strikeouts versus Miami.<\/p>\n 7.0 IP \u2022 2 H \u2022 0 R \u2022 13 K \u2022 1 BB<\/p>\n His consistency proved Atlanta\u2019s future was still powered by dominant pitching. If Fried is the present, Strider is the embodiment of the Braves\u2019 pitching future.<\/p>\n 10. Julio Teheran \u2014 6 Scoreless vs. Nationals (2016) In a duel with Max Scherzer, Teheran shut out Washington for six innings<\/a> with precision and command.<\/p>\n 6.0 IP \u2022 0 R \u2022 7 K \u2022 1 BB<\/p>\n It was one of the bright spots of his two-time All-Star tenure in Atlanta. For a rotation in transition, Teheran\u2019s reliability helped bridge the gap to the team\u2019s next wave of stars.<\/p>\n The Arms That Defined Braves Country<\/p>\n From Smoltz\u2019s vintage postseason dominance to Strider\u2019s radar-gun-melting brilliance, Braves pitchers have kept the franchise\u2019s tradition alive in the 21st century.<\/p>\n Fried, Strider, and company carry on a legacy of excellence \u2014 proof that in Atlanta, the ace torch is never dropped, only passed forward.<\/p>\n The post Top 10 Braves Pitching Performances Of The Last 25 Years<\/a> first appeared on ATL Braves Country<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Top 10 Braves Pitching Performances Of The Last 25 Years The Atlanta Braves have built their modern success…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363222,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2394],"tags":[40204,191,46,4166,5,192,5965,1358,4,5839,52142],"class_list":{"0":"post-363221","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-braves","8":"tag-atl-braves-country","9":"tag-atlanta","10":"tag-atlanta-braves","11":"tag-atlantabraves","12":"tag-baseball","13":"tag-braves","14":"tag-breaking-news","15":"tag-local-news","16":"tag-mlb","17":"tag-newsbreak","18":"tag-top-10-braves-pitching-performances-of-the-last-25-years"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115321822781808992","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\u00a9 Troy Taormina-Imagn Images <\/p>\n
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