Strasburg, Strasburg, Strasburg. The next Roger Clemens (minus the steriods and lies), the legend in the making, the savior of the Nationals, the MVP and Cy Young award winner, Strasburg can walk on water..... For those who missed is, Stephen Strasburg, the highly regarded 21 year old pitcher, made his major league debut last night and did not disappoint the fans that finally decided to come watch the Nationals play. Strasburg struck out 14 hitters, walked no one, and got the win. Strasburg threw 95 pitches and went 7 innings, 68 of the pitches were strikes, from his 100 mph fast ball to a 82 mph curve ball that seems to have a mind of its own. Strasburg gave up a home run and was behind in hitters counts but came through and battled, the way a 1st round choice should.
Many have been blowing smoke about Strasburg, Curt Schilling stated when he (Strasburg) comes up, he will instantly be one of the top 5 pitchers in the league. Hey Curt, Roy Halladay, Josh Beckett, Felix Hernandez, the Rays starters and others have something to say about that. Now, we are not saying that Strasburg isn't a great pitcher, he is. Last night may have been the beginning of one our generations great pitchers, but take his performance with a grain of salt. Yes, his fast ball and pitch selection seemed unhittable, but he was facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, not exactly the best hitting team in the league. What will happen when he faces the Braves, the Phillies and Ryan Howard, or another team with a legit power hitter in the middle of the lineup. He truly was never in trouble, he had a comfortable lead and was dominating lesser hitters.
Now Strasburg is a great rookie at this point but be careful. If you can remember Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, both prime young pitchers for the Cubs in the late 90s, but they were over worked and their careers came to a sad end. The Nationals have kept Strasburg to a strict schedule to limit his innings, which is a smart move and they must keep to it even though they want to win more games and compete. The Nationals are still a bad team, no run support, and a sad excuse of a bull pen. Strasburg will struggle at times because of the supporting cast around him so the fans should not except him to lead the team to the playoffs.
Everyone who watched last night, your welcome. We should all be grateful to see a bright shinning star being born before our eyes but we should all be careful not to order a statue for Cooperstown quite yet. Strasburg has a lot to learn but took the first big step last night and baseball is better for it. Nationals and sports fans alike should be excited for the making of something special.
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