Putting Mike Soroka’s historic postseason debut in perspective

PBF Redbirds and Junior National Team alum Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) put together the best performance ever by a Canadian starter in the major league post-season on Sunday. Photo: Amanda Fewer

October 7, 2019

By Lukas Weese

Canadian Baseball Network

As the Atlanta Braves were travelling to St. Louis for Game 3 of the NLDS, the mood on the team plane was loose. Many of the players were cracking jokes, playing cards, trying to lighten the spirits before a critical postseason road game.

Mike Soroka was not involved in these festivities. The Calgary native was intently focused on reading the book Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday. This is a guide to how athletes, in a world consumed by distractions, can achieve a steady calm in their craft.

What would unfold for Soroka on the mound at Busch Stadium was not just his desired stillness, but a history-making performance. The 22-year-old would go seven innings, giving up just two hits and one earned run while striking out seven, en route to the Braves’3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Unfortunately for Soroka, his performance was not rewarded with a win. He exited after the seventh inning before the Braves’ thrilling comeback in the top of the ninth, started by former Toronto Blue Jay and AL MVP Josh Donaldson’s lead off double. This set up a game-tying RBI double for Dansby Swanson and a game-winning, two-run single by Adam Duvall, both with two outs.

But to get to this point, it was Soroka who conquered the loud roars from the Cardinals crowd and the equally impressive outing from 38-year-old St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright. Inning after inning, pitch after pitch, Soroka embraced the postseason stage, never phased by the magnitude of the moment.

“It’s really the first time that nothing else matters but to get the win for your team,” said Soroka to reporters after Game 3. “We can say that we won that game and really feeling like we went out there as a team to battle. You just want to do it for the guys next to you.”

With his dominant start, Soroka made Canadian baseball history. For starters, Soroka became the first Canadian-born pitcher to allow one earned run or fewer in a postseason outing of at least seven innings.

And it was not just the amount of innings Soroka pitched that was sensational but the variety of pitches he was delivering to the Cardinals hitters. His powerful fastball reached a velocity of over 95 mph for the majority of his start. But Soroka could also go to the slider, change up or breaking ball when he was behind in the count.

This enabled the rising Canadian star to become the 10th pitcher in postseason history (and the youngest) to pitch seven or more innings and allow just two base runners. The last pitcher to do this was Walker Buehler in last year’s World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he went seven scoreless innings, and permitted just two hits in Game 3. The only two baserunners Soroka allowed in Game 3 were Marcell Ozuna (two hits, one run) and Matt Carpenter, who got the Cardinals’ only RBI.

Wainwright, Soroka’s mound opponent, recorded eight strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings, but the 22-year-old Canadian righty matched Wainwright’s intensity. Soroka would also set a new Braves’ postseason record by retiring 17 consecutive batters. This is also a record for Canadian pitchers.

Considering the Braves’ history with pitching in the postseason, headlined by John Smoltz (15-4, 2.67 ERA in 41 postseason games), Greg Maddux (11-14, 3.27 ERA in 35 postseason games), and Tom Glavine (14-16, 3.37 ERA in 35 postseason games), Soroka has put himself in fine company.

There is only one pitcher younger than Soroka (22 years, 63 days) to go seven or more innings and give up two or fewer hits in a postseason game. That would be the New York Yankees’ Waite Hoyt, who achieved this feat during the 1921 World Series. Finishing his career with a 237-182 record and a 3.59 ERA, Hoyt was one of the premier pitchers for the Yankees in the 1920’s. The same year Hoyt pitched in the 1921 World Series, only 937 home runs were hit across the big leagues. In 2019, a record number of major league home runs were hit, a whopping 6,776.

Given the plethora of home runs being hit, it makes Soroka’s consecutive batters record even more special. With the evolution of launch angles and hitters often swinging for home runs, very rarely do we see multiple batters retired at the rate Soroka achieved.

From his youthful days pitching at the Tournament 12 showcase, Soroka was pegged to be one of the best young pitching prospects. His rookie season validated this assessment. In the 2019 regular season, he went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 29 appearances.

And the calmness he exhibited on the mound in a critical Game 3, proves that the sky's the limit for the young Canuck hurler.

So yes, stillness may be the key for Soroka’s success, but his pitching skills and mental fortitude could also help him lead the Braves deeper into the postseason.