Strasburg pitched as advertised
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
He walked to the Great American Ball Park advertised as the next big thing in baseball.
His T-shirts were being sold in the pro shop of the Cincinnati Reds. Some fans were wearing his shirts with pride, and others had big X's marking out his name.
Fans booed him each time he hurled the baseball toward home plate.
The calm, cool and collected flamethrower brought a sellout crowd at GABP Wednesday, a feat usually reserved for a bobble head figurine or an Opening Day celebration.
There he was on the hill with his retro-style look. He had the red socks stretched to his knee, a jersey with "Washington" stitched across the chest, and an almost flat-bill navy blue cap with a old-English W, looking like a modern-day Walter Johnson, who pitched for a different Washington team over 100 years ago.
The most hyped baseball player in recent history was finally in Cincinnati.
The Stephen Strasburg Show had arrived.
Did the 6-4, 220-pound Strasburg disappoint the 37,868 fans in attendance?
Depends on who you ask.
If seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings is a disappointment, then yes, he did. If by gaining a win against the home team, beating them 8-5, is a disappointment, then that, too, is another yes in the disappointment category.
If you ask me, then no. He put a show that was worth watching. This was a must-see game.
Strasburg finished his first start in the Queen City by allowing three earned runs on seven hits and one walk. His nine-game ERA stands at 2.32 with five wins.
He didn't throw many pitches less than 98 mph. He fanned Jonny Gomes with a 99 mph fastball to end the second inning. And his breaking pitches were almost just as fast and even harder to handle, some in the mid-to-upper 90s.
His debut at GABP wasn't as good as his previous game, which came against the Florida Marlins. In that game, he struck out seven in six scoreless innings on four singles and three walks.
During each of his nine big league starts, Strasburg has now struck out at least five batters per game, with his career-high 14 strikeouts coming in his MLB debut on June 8 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he sold out Nationals Park in Washington D.C. For the year, Strasburg has 75 strikeouts.
His other double-digit strikeout total came against the Chicago White Sox with 10 in his third career start.
In his last three starts, Strasburg is 3-0 with a total of 22 strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants, Marlins and Reds.
Another impressive stat for the Nationals ace is his that ERA against righties is .185 and his ERA vs. lefties isn't shabby either at .259.
What was most impressive about Strasburg on Wednesday night in the Queen City?
His poise.
He never seemed to get over his head, and when he did allow base runners, Strasburg (along with catcher Ivan Rodriguez) just buckled down and went to work.
In post-game comments, Strasburg told reporters he wasn't intimated by the size of GABP because he played in parks smaller than the one in Cincinnati. Strasburg stated: "As long as you execute pitches, it doesn't matter where you hit, as long as it's on the ground. If they hit it out, so what?"
The only extra base hit Strasburg allowed was a triple by Brandon Phillips, who eventually scored the Reds' first run. He allowed no home runs in the homer-friendly GABP. To date, Strasburg has allowed just three home runs.
Strasburg threw 97 pitches (63 strikes), and if anyone is a fan of pitching, they surely couldn't have been disappointed with the effort given by this rookie phenom.
Strasburg may not have had his most phenomenal outing of the season or struck out double-digit batters, but in my opinion, he pitched fast and poised.
He pitched as advertised.
He pitched as advertised.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of the Highland County Press.
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