Stephen Strasburg

I've been trying not to succumb to the Stephen Strasburg hype, but after his dazzling MLB debut last night, that's going to be pretty difficult.

Watching Strasburg against the Pirates brought back memories of David Cone's emergence in 1988. Cone wasn't technically a rookie, having pitched a total of about 120 innings the previous two seasons, but when he moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation in May of '88, he seemed to come from out of nowhere, and immediately dominated: A shutout in his first start, 1 run allowed over 7 innings in his next, 7 scoreless innings and 12 strikeouts in his third start, six straight starts in which he allowed 1 or 0 runs. Two ten-inning, 1-run complete games just 11 days apart. A 2-hit shutout of the Phillies in which he took a no-hitter into the 8th, and a 1-hit shutout of the Padres. I listened to just about all of Cone's starts on the radio that summer, and haven't been as excited by a young pitcher since. Until last night.

Still, it was one game, in a sport in which one game is a pretty meaningless sample size. (You have to be at least a decent player to score 35 points in an NBA game, but you can be a pretty bad player -- by Major League standards -- and throw a shutout or have a 3-hit game.) Those urging restraint on the basis of it being only one game have a point.

Those who minimize Strasburg's performance by scoffing that the Pirates are little better than a minor league team, however, should look closer. 

True, the Pirates aren't a good offensive team: They're last in the National League in runs per game and next-to-last in OPS+.

But the Pirates don't strike out all that much -- slightly less than league average, in fact. Before last night, the Pirates had struck out at least 14 times in a game only once all year -- a 14-inning game against the Brewers in which they had struck out only 11 times through 9 innings. Dan Haren, one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball, recorded 9 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings against the Pirates on April 10, the best previous strikeout performance by a starting pitcher against the Pirates this season.

Stephen Strasburg had 14 strikeouts in 7 innings last night, and struck out the last 7 batters he faced (and 8 of the last 9.) No, the Pirates aren't very good -- but they don't strike out much, and nobody else this year has had the kind of success against them Strasburg had.

Comments

[Risky]

Major League Baseball is dumb. how the hell they not gunna have this kid on the all star roster??? i mean who dosent want to see strasburg vs Derek Jeter, Alex Rodiguez and Joe Mauer??? I no I do. Who cares if he dosent deserve it, charlie manuel picked Omar Infante as an all star reserve. Omar FUCKING Infante. A mediocre ultility infielder. So dont give me shit on how he dosent deserve it. Im no nationals fan, strasburg fan (he's ok i dont hate him or n e thing) but who wudnt want to see that?