Not Quite Steve Nebraska

Yeah, yeah - it wasn't Steve Nebraska (a perfect game, 27 strike outs, 81 pitches) but it was pretty amazing nonetheless. As we stated earlier, it was the most hyped pitching debut the game has ever seen. As Andy Behrens points out, "the problem, as it turns out, is that the kid was inadequately hyped". That's saying something.


Just how good was his debut? Strasburg pitched 7 innings, gave up 4 hits, 0 walks!, 2 earned runs and struck out 14!!! Before tonight the most strike outs by a Nats pitcher in a game this year was 8. He nearly doubled that! Another fact to boggle your mind - no pitcher in baseball history had struck out 14+ hitters in 96 pitches or less...Strasburg did it in 94. Everyone knows it is much harder to get outs the 2nd and 3rd times through a lineup but Strasburg struck out the last 7 batters he faced! Naysayers might argue that he was facing the 5th worst team in the majors but if you saw his pitches you would argue otherwise. He intimidated hitters with a 97 MPH plus fastball then teased them with a ridiculous 80 MPH curve that Albert Pujols will have trouble hitting.


All in all it was a great night for the Nationals as they finally sold-out Nats Park and gave their fans the glimmer of hope they have been yearning for. Strasburg struck out every Pirates hitter at least once and proved hype is just another 4-letter word in the dictionary. If you still can't get your Strasburg fix, D.C. restaurants have already started selling "Strasburgers". UGH!