Rivalries in sports naturally breed mutual dislike. Fanbases and sometimes even the players themselves develop enmity borne out of competitiveness, history, proximity, or some other catalyst that seems to raise the bar whenever the two teams play each other. The Phillies and Braves rivalry has been renewed in recent years, fueled largely in part by the underdog Phillies bouncing the favored Braves from the postseason two years in a row.
Atlanta’s Spencer Strider has found himself in the middle of many of the highest profile moments of that recent rivalry. He was on the receiving end of Rhys Hoskins’ bat spike in the 2022 NLDS and took the loss in the series clinching Game 4 of the 2023 NLDS while surrendering three home runs.