Yardbarker

Yardbarker

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Strasburg lives up to hype and delights


The Counselor is IN:

I am not a fan of the Washington Nationals. I do not own Stephen Strasburg in any fantasy leagues (but after tonight I wish I did). I have no vested interest in Strasburg or his success. I admit the hype of the kid caught my attention. I tuned in to watch his first game in the Majors.

I know about his huge success in the minors but that is just the minors. I honestly thought he should have made the team at the end of Spring Training. I believed that he could be a decent starter for Washington.

I expected Strasburg to have a decent first game. I believed if he would give 3 earned runs over 6 innings and maybe strike out a handful, then it would be a successful first game. I never imaged that Strasburg would strike out 14 over 7 innings. He did give up a two run homer but then went on to strike out 7 in a row.

It is difficult to talk about a rookie pitcher being the real deal after one start against the Pirates. But this kid looks to be it a perennial Cy Young candidate. You never know if an injury or mental challenges may steal away his vitality. At least for this night, Stephen Strasburg lived up to his outrageous hype.


The Counselor is OUT: