Spencer Strider completed his first start of the 2024 season on Friday in Philadelphia. It was an electric atmosphere as always. Citizens Bank Park is known for being one of the most exciting and toughest environments to compete in.
Strider pitched really well and had Philly hitters off balance for most of the game. He did run into some trouble in the fifth inning with two outs. Bryson Stott reached on a single past a diving Ozzie Albies and Brandon Marsh drove him in with a two-run homer.
Spencer hunkered down and was able to escape the inning. He ended his season debut with 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 8 K. It was still a very good start from Spencer as his fastball was crisp for most of the game and his new curveball was impressive. He threw a 79 mph curve to J.T. Realmuto which made him look absolutely silly.
Spencer Strider's Nasty New Curveball
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 29, 2024
51 inches of drop 😮 pic.twitter.com/0K8R1wdFkM
Fortunately, the Braves were able to tie things up, and thanks to an offensive explosion in the 8th inning, Atlanta took game one of the series by a 9-3 final.
After the game, Strider did his normal round of interviews breaking down his performance. Spencer is known for providing us with some excellent quotes during interviews and he didn't disappoint on Friday.
One of the first questions was about if being booed by Philly fans is a "badge of honor". Without missing a beat, he responded with "They don't boo nobodies. That's what I've been told." That response got a nice chuckle out of everyone and he's right.
He continued by stating, "I like playing here. It's a fun place to play. They've just got passionate fans." That pretty much dispels any rumors from Philly fans that Spencer doesn't enjoy pitching at Citizens Bank Park or in front of fans.
Later on, there was a question asked by a reporter on whether fans chanting his name bothers him at all. This question stems from an interview with MLB Fits that many fans latched on to last postseason showing Spencer answering a question about his "hottest sports take".
His answer was "Absolutely there should be no fans. 2020 season, no fans. Get rid of the fans. It's too loud. Everybody be quiet. We don't need the cheering." You can see the video above for the full comment.
Philly fans took this response as a matter-of-fact statement and made Strider their target during the 2023 NLDS. They made signs asking Strider if it was too loud and chanted his name every chance they got. Unfortunately for them, Spencer was extremely sarcastic and his tone indicated that.
He took the chance in this interview to officially clarify that he was indeed being sarcastic. Spencer answered "It bothers me when there aren't any fans. That's when you notice the fans. When there's too few of them. No, it's great. This is what it should be like every day."
The reporter prompted after his answer "I wonder if they realize it really doesn't bother you". So many fans across Major League Baseball believed Strider was being 100% serious with his answer, especially Philly fans. They were unable to understand his answer was a joke.
His response to this was "I think that there was a misunderstanding of when I was sarcastic in a specific video and, you know, good for them, they're having fun." So, if you know any Phillies fans who still believe this is true, you can let them know they may need to work on their ability to discern when someone is being sarcastic or not.
It's part of the fan experience to taunt the opposition so that will likely always be something that is pointed out when these two teams face off all season. Unfortunately for Phillies fans, it doesn't seem to affect Strider. He seems to really enjoy it.