Saginaw’s Spencer Schwellenbach tops Mets in shutout of Atlanta Braves

Former Saginaw Heritage star Spencer Schwellenbach had the best outing of his Major League Baseball career Saturday, shutting out the New York Mets in a 4-0 victory.

The Atlanta Braves rookie struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed just two hits in seven innings to improve to 4-5 and snap the Braves’ six-game losing streak. The 11 strikeouts in one game were Schwellenbach’s most since playing for Heritage.

Schwellenbach, who was a special guest on MLB Network Friday, didn’t allow a walk, throwing 62 of 89 pitches for strikes. The former Nebraska shortstop retired the last 10 batters he faced, with the only hits coming on a Jeff McNeil double in the second and a Pete Alonso double in the fourth.

The 24-year-old right-hander threw nine fastballs at 97 mph, including one at 98.7 mph, the fastest pitch of his MLB career. Over his last two games, Schwellenbach has struck out 19 batters and walked no balls.

Former Detroit Tigers reliever Joe Jimenez and Raisel Iglesias pitched the final two innings to complete the shutout, Atlanta’s 12th of the season.

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