On the Stephen Strasburg Debut

The other night when I was at the ballpark, we were staring at the same other spot on the out of town scoreboard that most folks were. I remember being at the park the day Ted Williams died, and I’ll remember where I was when Stephen Strasburg was dazzling in his first outing.
After the game when I looked at the box score on our way home and I saw that Strasburg struck out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates, I just couldn’t believe it. Maybe this kid really is worth some of the hype. I expected him to strike out six or seven. I even could have seen him only striking out two or three. But from what I understand, he was highly dominating.

We then headed to the bar before calling it a night; where Strasburg was all the rage and the topic of conversation as the highlights reeled on replay on ESPN.

One guy told me he thinks he’s the best young pitcher since Dwight Gooden. I tried to dispute it, but how could I?

Ultimately, I think the guy is going to be special. The only IF would be arm injuries. My friend said he reminds him in fluidity of Mark Prior. Again, Prior won 18 games in one year and then only won around that many in the remainder of his brief career.

Strasburg will be special if he can sustain over time. For the time being, he’s going to take the league by storm. Every 5th day will be absolutely nuts, especially in Washington. And they’re quietly stockpiling some of the best young prospects in baseball in the nation’s capital. Strasburg would represent their crown jewel.