Padres' Matt Waldron Sets Career High in Impressive Win Over Braves

Matt Waldron dazzles as he shuts down one of baseball's best offenses.

May 17, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Matt Waldron (61) throws / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres took the first game of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves Friday night 3-1. Knuckleballer Matt Waldron was credited with the win that night as he shut down the high-powered Braves offense for 5.2 innings.

In that outing, Waldron struck out a career-high 10 batters and only allowed a single run on five hits. Waldron put himself in the same company as famed knuckleball thrower R.A. Dickey with this performance.

Milestone for Matt 👊 pic.twitter.com/LBfRTnBCur

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 18, 2024

As unpredictable as the knuckleball is, Waldron had it working for him all night. The ball seemed to defy gravity as it floated through the bats of the Braves hitters.

A feast or famine pitch, Waldron's game logs have been indicative of the arsenal he has. In four of his nine outings, the right-hander has allowed one or fewer earned runs. Conversely, in another four outings, he has allowed more than four earned runs.

Waldron will likely pitch again when the team travels to Cincinnati to take on the Reds.