We are still buzzing from Calgarian Mike Soroka’s historic outing for the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The former Calgary PBF Redbirds pupil pitched seven innings of one-run baseball, allowing just two hits and no walks. The 22-year-old also struck out seven batters and, while he didn’t personally get the win, Soroka set the table for a dramatic ninth-inning comeback that earned the Braves a 3-1 victory.
During the Busch Stadium performance, the righthander put himself in the record books for several reasons. Here are some of his playoff achievements:
- 10th pitcher in MLB postseason history – and the second youngest – to pitch seven-plus innings and allow only two baserunners
- First Canadian-born starter to allow one earned run or less in a playoff start of at least seven innings pitched
- Youngest pitcher in postseason history to throw at least seven innings and allow zero walks in his playoff debut
- Retired 17 straight batters – the most consecutive outs by a Canadian pitcher in the postseason and a new team record for the Braves
- One of only three Canadians (including James Paxton and Jeff Francis) to record seven strikeouts or more in a playoff game
- Youngest Canadian to start a postseason game
.@Mike_Soroka28's first #postseason start was an absolute gem.#RELENTLESS pic.twitter.com/aczh9nixzp
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 6, 2019
If you missed Soroka’s dominant work on the mound, we’ve got the highlights for you, along with some post-game interviews and analysis.
Pitching duel between Soroka and Adam Wainwright:
NLDS Game 3 highlights:
Interview with Soroka right after the game:
Soroka’s post-game press conference:
AND … he’s only 22