Mike Soroka 2020 Season Recap

Mike Soroka's 2020 season ended prematurely with an Achilles' injury

MIKE SOROKA

Made three starts with the Braves and went 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA (6 ER/13.2 IP)...Tore his right Achilles on August 3 and missed the remainder of the season. • Made his first career Opening Day start, and was named to his first Opening Day roster. 

At age 22 years, 355 days, was the youngest Opening Day starter in the franchise’s modern era...The last Braves pitcher to start Opening Day at a younger age was Tommy Bond in 1878, when he started the opener for the Boston Red Caps against the Providence Greys at 22 years and 29 days old. 

Soroka was the youngest Opening Day starter since Miami’s Jose Fernandez pitched at 21 years, 243 days to open the Marlins’ 2014 season...He is the yougest Canadian in the modern era to start on Opening Day, and the first Canadian to ever start Opening Day for the Braves.  

STARTERS: 

The Braves used 14 starting pitchers this year in 60 games, after using 11 starters over 162 games last season...Overall, the starters went 14-16 (.467) on the season, the 15th-best record in the majors in 2020 (sixth best in the National League)...They tossed 251.2 innings, the fewest in the National League and third fewest in baseball, while their 5.51 ERA (166 ER) was also highest in the N.L. and third highest in the league. 

The Atlanta staff used 14 starters this season, most in the National League and second most in the majors...Only the Red Sox, with 16 starters, used more...Since the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, just two staffs used more starters in a season, and both clubs did so in full 162-game season...The 2016 Braves used 16 starters, while the 1975 club used 15. 

None of Atlanta’s projected starting rotation at the beginning of the year - Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Kyle Wright, Sean Newcomb, Mike Foltynewicz - spent the entire season in the Braves rotation, and just Fried and Wright ended the season starting for Atlanta. • Soroka made three starts for Atlanta before missing the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles...Fried missed 11 games with a muscle spasm in his lumbar spine...Wright and Newcomb were both optioned to the Alternate Training Site during the year, and Foltynewicz made one start before being designated for assignment and outrighted. 

The Braves did not have a starter throw a complete game, and had just one start of at least 7.0 innings all season...Ian Anderson tossed 7.0 scoreless innings on September 12 at Washington.  

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