It is 11:25 PM on Monday June the 7th. Why is this important you ask? in 18 hours and 40 minutes Steven Strasburg will take the mound for the first time in a Major League stadium. This is undoubtedly the most hyped player to make his debut since Mark Prior. Will Strasburg make a bigger long-term impact than Prior? One can only hope. If what he accomplished in AA and AAA is any precursor to what we will see from him as a big league pitcher, it will be nothing short of phenomenal. through 55 1/3 innings at AA and AAA combined Strasburg amassed 65 strike outs, 13 walks, a 1.30 ERA and a 7-2 record. Is he going to be the savior of the Nationals franchise? Hard to say yes when the guy is only going to play every fifth day. Is he going to build the morale of the city and fans? That is a resound yes.
Within hours of the announcement that Strasburg would make his first start on June 8th at 7:05 PM local time against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the stadium was sold out and has been announced that it is standing room only. His debut rivals the debuts the likes of Mark Prior, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. as most anticipated in the last 20 years. For the sake of him and the game of baseball, i hope he succeeds and lives up to the hype.
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