The right-handed pitcher who hails from California struck out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates (second most in baseball history for a first start) and allowed four hits and two runs in his seven innings of work. Nowadays, baseball’s number guys, and there are many of them, put a tremendous emphasis (too much in my opinion) on how many pitches a pitcher throws and Strasburg threw just 94 pitches while blowing away 14 Pirate batters. That’s hard to do because it takes at least three pitches to strike a batter out. More strikeouts usually translate to more pitches, usually about 120, so 94 is remarkable.
Even more impressive was how Strasburg did it. His fastball has been measured at 103 miles-per-hour. Last night it topped out at a mere 100 MPH. There are many pitchers who can throw hard but they usually don’t know where their pitches are going. Strasburg does. He didn’t walk a batter – not one. His curveball moved so much that batters were jumping away from it. That doesn’t happen in the Major Leagues. Big league hitters normally can recognize a curve from its spin and know it will break away from them and they can stride into a pitch. But, Strasburg’s curveball broke so much and was so much faster than a normal breaking pitch that hitters didn’t have time to read the spin and were backing away.
Hype? ESPN broadcast all day from Nationals Park in Washington. MLB Network provided updates after every inning that Strasburg pitched. The game was sold out – only the second sell-out this season in Washington. More than 200 media credentials were requested from across the nation. Strasburg’s last few starts in the minor leagues were televised nationally. For a 21-year-old who is viewed as the savior of a franchise that has lost a lot more than they’ve won in recent years, there was an enormous amount of pressure. Saying Strasburg exceeded expectations is the understatement of the year.
Which brings me to my point – we who live in the mid-state region were fortunate to see Strasburg pitch for the minor league Harrisburg Senators earlier this baseball season. After Strasburg was drafted out of San Diego State University a year ago this week, there were several levels of anticipation and excitement over when he would pitch. When he went to spring training with the Nationals in February, many thought he had the talent to stick with the big club. Instead, Washington decided Strasburg would begin his professional career with the AA Senators. His debut in Altoona for Harrisburg in April attracted dozens of national sportswriters, ready to document his every move. The lanky right-hander was the winning pitcher beating the Altoona Curve 6-4.
Strasburg made his first start in front of the home crowd at Metro Bank Park on City Island five days later on Friday, April 16. I was one of 7,800 people who withstood a long rain delay and a power outage to witness history being made. And history it was.
I have seen a lot of baseball in my 50 years. Most of the games I’ve attended were on the Major League level at old Connie Mack Stadium, Veterans Stadium and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. I have seen Hall-of-Fame pitchers like Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan, but what I saw that rainy night on the Island was comparable. Those of us who have watched baseball for many years can recognize the kind of ability a Strasburg has. The ball leaves his hand like no other pitcher I’ve seen. It looks like it sticks to his right hand and then is shot out of a small cannon. His motion is compact and the same for every pitch – something that is a key to success for a pitcher. From the side, Strasburg’s pitches are on a straight line and make a loud pop into the catcher’s mitt -- the faster the pitch – the louder the pop.
Strasburg pitched only a little over two innings that night in April because the skies opened again. He struck out three batters in those two plus innings but it was enough for me to know I saw something very special. I saved the ticket.
The Harrisburg Senators are a fixture in the mid-state. The team has a rich tradition, winning six Eastern League championships since the modern team began play in 1987. More than a hundred former Senators have gone on to play in the Major Leagues (including Detroit Tiger Armando Gallaraga, who came within a blown call by an umpire last week of pitching a perfect game no-hitter).
I hope that others, like me, realize the kind of history and high quality of play we’ve seen – not just in Harrisburg, but in the other mid-state minor league ballparks like Reading, York, and Lancaster. I know I’ll tell my grandchildren about the night I saw Stephen Strasburg pitch in Harrisburg. That is a story I’ll never forget.
What did you think about Stephen Strasburg’s debut and his time in Harrisburg?
