D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray is supporting the Washington Nationals’ controversial decision to end star pitcher Stephen Strasburg’s season early.
“I think it’s very wise advice,” Gray told reporters Tuesday, hours before Strasburg was set to take the mound against the Atlanta Braves in a key division matchup.
The Nationals have said they will not allow Strasburg to pitch more than 180 innings this season as he bounces back from a 2010 surgery, even if the surging squad makes it into the postseason.
But Gray, who was a celebrated baseball player himself when he was younger, said that Strasburg’s career should take priority over a single season.
“I know there are people who will say, if he does get shut down and we somehow don’t win the World Series, that if Strasburg had been out there [things would have been different,]” Gray said. “But what if Strasburg had gone out there and blown out his arm again and needed more Tommy John surgery or his career had been ended?”
Strasburg (14-5 record, 2.91 ERA) enters Tuesday’s game having pitched 139 1/3 innings and recorded 173 strikeouts, the third-most in the National League. The Nationals’ record stands at 76-46, giving them a six-game lead over second-place Atlanta.
