When Major League Baseball selected the Braves for the inaugural Speedway Classic, they likely didn’t anticipate the team would be 17 games under .500 and missing half its roster to the injured list.
However, it didn’t stop the crowds from arriving on what had all the makings of a historic Saturday night. Then, the rain arrived, one of the many staples of the Braves 2025 campaign. Major League Baseball did everything they could to get the game played, probably forcing the issue a little too much. Eventually, it was postponed and scheduled to resume on Sunday.
The delay left both the Braves and Reds scrambling for pitching. Each team requested permission from the league to call up an extra arm, which Rob Manfred granted. That allowed 2023 first-round pick Hurston Waldrep to make his season debut for the Braves.
It wasn’t exactly a comfortable situation. Waldrep drove up in the middle of the night for a 1:00 p.m. restart and inherited a tough spot: down a run, two men on base, and just one out. But when you’re locked in, you’re locked in — and Waldrep has been pitching at a high level over the last month in the minors. That momentum carried into what turned out to be the story of the Speedway Classic.
The former Florida Gator escaped the first-inning jam unscathed. In the bottom half, Eli White gave the Braves the lead with a towering three-run shot over the left field wall, the first home run ever hit at Bristol Motor Speedway. He would go deep again later in the game.
Waldrep allowed a run in the second inning but quickly settled in. He retired the next six batters and didn’t allow a runner to reach scoring position over his final four innings.
His final line read: 5.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 4 strikeouts, and 2 walks
It was a historic way for the rookie to pick up his first win, and what a moment it had to be after the struggles he faced when making his MLB debut last season. This was an entirely different version of Hurston Waldrep, one that could command the strike zone with his fastball, allowing his devastating splitter to feast on a Reds lineup that really seemed to struggle seeing the ball out of his hand.
After the game, Hurston Waldrep was optioned back to Gwinnett, but don’t read too much into that. It was a procedural move due to his status as the 27th man. It would be a surprise if he’s not back on the mound in five days, especially with Atlanta’s injury-riddled rotation. He’s earned another opportunity, and the Braves would be wise to see what they have in him before heading into an offseason where multiple rotation spots may need to be filled.
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Photo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire
