Stephen Strasburg went beyond the hype—and anyone’s reasonable expectations—by striking out 14 batters in his electric major league debut.
With a standing-room-only crowd cheering at every chance, the Washington Nationals phenom put on a dazzling display of power pitching Tuesday night in a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. His fastballs reached 100 mph, and batters found his nasty curves nearly impossible to hit.
“I just wanted to go out and soak up everything. It only happens once and I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” Strasburg said.
Last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick—the one with the record $15.1 million contract—threw his first pitch 97 mph and got stronger as the game progressed. He struck out the last seven batters he faced, and all nine Pirates in the starting lineup fanned at least once.
The 21-year-old right-hander was pulled after seven innings and took a curtain call. He allowed four hits, two earned runs and didn’t walk a batter, piling up the most strikeouts in a big league debut since J.R. Richard fanned 15 for Houston in 1971.
Karl Spooner also struck out 15 in his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. He and Richard are the only pitchers with more strikeouts than Strasburg in a major league debut since 1920—and Spooner and Richard both had three walks.
Strasburg also tied Max Scherzer(notes) of the Detroit Tigers for most strikeouts in a game in the majors this season. Scherzer had 14 on May 30 against Oakland.
Strasburg was removed for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh with a 4-2 lead. When it was announced that he had set a team record for strikeouts since the franchise’s move to Washington in 2005, the crowd roared again—and Strasburg emerged to the top step of the dugout and tipped his cap.
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