About a month ago, Michael Soroka returned to the major leagues with a start in Oakland, in front of a few thousand people. Then he pitched in Arizona, where there were a lot of Braves fans but nothing compared with the atmosphere at Truist Park.
The moment arrived on Friday, when the Braves brought up Soroka to start against the Marlins at Truist Park, his first home start since Aug. 3, 2020, when he tore his Achilles tendon the first time.
It went well: Soroka allowed three runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out seven batters. He didn’t walk anyone. Save for two home-run pitches in the third inning, he was terrific. The Braves won, 16-4.
“My goal was to continue just letting it fly,” Soroka said. “I think that’s the one thing I found when I went back down. I found it at some points earlier this year, but it was kind of spotty and went down with a bit of a fire lit underneath me and just started kind of letting it fly.”
What does letting it fly mean?
“When you come up and you’re real young, you know what you’re doing but you don’t exactly know how,” Soroka said. “It’s kind of one of those things where you’ve got some innocent confidence. And it was about working back into that confidence. And I think truly actually letting it go out of your hand was something that I had done at times, but I was kind of guiding the ball here and there.
“That’s where command just kind of wasn’t clicking, and still have some improvements there that I want to make. But I know it’s gonna come when I’m letting go because then you can feel everything, it comes out cleaner, things are spinning harder, and they tend to not see it as well. That’s that’s been the biggest thing since I started taking that mindset approach to it.”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
The last time Soroka started at Truist Park, cardboard cutouts watched him – not fans.
This time, the fans cheered him when he warmed up before the game, when he took the mound for the first inning and when his night ended.
“It seems like it’s been a long time (since he’s pitched here),” Braves manager Brian Snitker said before the game. “Good for him. I know it hasn’t been an easy road for him. He’s always had a great attitude about it, I know that.”
Soroka earned this opportunity. Since the Braves optioned him June 5, he has allowed only three runs over 19 innings across three Triple-A starts. He has 18 strikeouts and eight walks during that span.
In his last Triple-A start, he almost threw a seven-inning no-hitter in a doubleheader.
He looked to be more ready for the majors this time around. This was only one start, but it was encouraging. Soroka earned his first win in since July 29, 2020.
“It was good to see, really good to see,” Snitker said after the game. “His stuff and everything was up from the last time, which I think probably just going back and getting more consistent work and everything led to that. So that’s good. I’m happy for him. He’s been through a lot to get that first win and everything back here. That’s good for him.”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
The Braves brought up Soroka in late May. He allowed four runs over six innings in Oakland, then surrendered five runs on seven hits over 3-2/3 innings in Arizona. He walked six batters and struck out five over those two starts.
The Braves perhaps recalled Soroka sooner than they planned because they needed a starter and he was next in line. But it eventually looked like he might need a bit more time to refine things. The Braves are trying to win now, and they didn’t let him stay in the rotation to figure out things.
The Braves on Wednesday optioned Jared Shuster, and Soroka took his roster spot. On Monday, they optioned AJ Smith-Shawver in a move that was not about performance, but about bringing in a fresh arm after they tore through their bullpen in the Cincinnati series.
Kolby Allard on Wednesday started for the Braves and didn’t allow a run over 4-2/3 innings.
Two days later, Soroka had a successful return to the Truist Park mound.
“It’ll be a memory I have forever, and I’m very thankful for that,” Soroka said of the reception fans gave him.
