ESPN The Magazine’s Howard Bryant just trashed Washington, D.C. as a sports town. It’s too much to go into, but the article is pretty weak. If you want to read an article about D.C. as a sports town by a Washingtonian, see http://bleacherreport.com/articles/914880-washington-dc-not-just-a-redskins-town-but-a-great-sports-city.
Also see an article about D.C.’s top stars: Robert Griffin III, Alex Ovechkin, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, and John Wall:
Stephen Strasburg walks off to a standing ovation after one of his 14 strikeouts during his major league debut against Pittsburgh June 8. Photo by Mike Frandsen
The Washington Nationals announced Friday that rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg has a significantly torn ligament in his right elbow and is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery. The surgery would most likely sideline Strasburg for 2011 season although it is possible he could return late in the year.
Strasburg, called one of the best pitching prospects in history, finished his rookie season with a record of 5-3, an ERA of 2.91, and 92 strikeouts in 12 starts. His strikeout to walk ratio was an incredible 5.4 to 1. Strasburg’s fastball was clocked over 100 miles per hour and his curve baffled experienced hitters. Strasburg pitched 123 innings this season and the Nationals had planned to shut him down for the year after 160 innings.
The 22-year old rookie right-hander created a buzz around the Nationals that hadn’t been experienced in their six years of existence, with attendance up significantly during Strasburg’s starts. When Strasburg started at home, the Nationals averaged 34,270 fans, nearly double the 17,190 the Nats averaged for other games.
Strasburg was spectacular in his major league debut June 8, striking out 14 and walking none in seven innings in a 5-2 win over Pittsburgh at Nationals Park.
For the rest of my article on Examiner.com, please click here.
Stephen Strasburg struck out seven batters in five innings and the Nationals came back from a 3-1 deficit to overtake the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-3.
Strasburg pitched well after his first bad performance of the season five days ago when he gave up six runs to Florida, and Josh Willingham and Ryan Zimmerman homered for Washington.
Strasburg didn’t get the victory, though, because of an error he committed in the second inning.
After giving up a solo home run to Adam LaRoche, Strasburg took a lightly hit ball by Stephen Drew and threw it over the outstretched arm of the 6-6 Adam Dunn. That allowed Mark Reynolds to score from first while Drew made it all the way to third. Gerardo Parra hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Drew, and the Diamondbacks led 3-0.
To read the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=strasburg&iid=9062720″ src=”http://view1.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9062720/washington-nationals/washington-nationals.jpg?size=500&imageId=9062720″ width=”234″ height=”352″ /]The Nationals shut out the Florida Marlins 4-0 behind six scoreless innings by Stephen Strasburg and a three-run triple by Josh Willingham Friday.
Strasburg struck out seven Marlins and gave up just four hits as he combined with Drew Storen and Matt Capps for the shutout in front of 27,037 fans in Miami.
The game followed a familiar pattern for Strasburg (4-2). As he has a few times in the last month, Strasburg got off to a relatively slow – for him – start. He threw 34 pitches in the first inning, walking two, and looked a little uncomfortable. Then the rookie phenom settled down, and wasn’t dominant but pitched a very good game, giving up just one walk the rest of the way.
For the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Adam Dunn had another big game with two home runs and a double, and Stephen Strasburg (3-2) gave up just one run and three hits in six innings as the Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants, 8-1 Friday night in Washington.
For once, the Nats gave Strasburg decent run support, putting seven earned runs on the board against Giants starter Matt Cain (6-8).
Dunn’s first home run was a solo shot, one of his patented moonballs that he golfed to the right center field seats, giving the Nats a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. In the sixth inning, Dunn narrowly missed another home run with a double off the top part of the wall. In the seventh, Dunn slammed his 22nd home run to center field, a 445-foot, two-run shot, tying him for the National League lead with Joey Votto of Cincinnati.
Strasburg got a rude awakening in the first inning before many of the 34,723 fans at Nationals Park even had a chance to sit down, when the first batter of the game, Andres Torres, hit a home run off a 97 mph fastball. Three other balls were hit hard to the outfield in the first inning off Strasburg, but they were right at Nats fielders.
To see the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Stephen Strasburg pitched another spectacular game for the Washington Nationals Friday night in his second home start but the Nats fell to the Chicago White Sox, 2-1 in 11 innings.
President Obama was in attendance to watch the White Sox take on the Nats and Strasburg in front of a sellout crowd of 40,325 at Nationals Park. Strasburg struck out 10 batters in seven innings and surrendered just one run in his third start.
Strasburg now has 32 strikeouts, which is a major league record for most strikeouts in the first three games of a career. Incredibly, the 21-year old rookie phenom had no walks for the second straight game at Nationals Park. In two starts at home Strasburg has an otherworldly 24 strikeouts and no walks. Strasburg left with a no-decision after pitching the seventh inning with the Nats (31-37) down 1-0.
To see the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Stephen Strasburg struck out 14 in his major league debut for the Washington Nationals. (Photo by Mike Frandsen)
Stephen Strasburg lived up to the amazing hype surrounding his major league debut Tuesday night, as he struck out 14 batters in seven innings to lead the Nationals over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2.
Strasburg thrilled the standing room only crowd of 40,315 at Nationals Park with a fastball that clocked in at 100 miles per hour, a wicked curve, and a changeup that baffled Pirates hitters. Strasburg gave up only two earned runs and, incredibly, did not walk any batters, striking out the side in the second, sixth, and seventh innings before departing.
Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals biggest star until Strasburg’s debut, hit a solo home run in the first inning, his 12th, and went 3-4 on the night.
Strasburg, the number one pick in the 2009 draft, surrendered a 2-run homer to Delwyn Young in the fourth inning, but other than that was almost flawless, showing confidence and no apparent jitters.
Nats fans celebrate Strasburg's big night. (Photo by Mike Frandsen)
Most of the excitement, after Strasburg got through the first inning, came in the sixth and seventh innings.
Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham hit back-to-back home runs for Washington in the sixth inning off Jeff Karstens (1-2), giving the Nats a 4-2 lead. Dunn’s 2-run homer was his 11th, and Willingham’s solo shot was his 11th too.
For the rest of my article on examiner.com, please click here.
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