Stephen Strasburg had no game plan. No scouting report on the hitters. No expectations of himself.
The Washington Nationals wanted their rookie phenom simply to breath in his Tuesday debut. Like Nuke LaLoosh in “Bull Durham” sans the garters and beaning the mascot. After one year of high expectations — right down to fans cheering him leaving the bullpen after warmups — Strasburg needed to relax for his big night.
It would have been easy for the rookie to crack under the burden of a full house and a city desperate for a star player on dry land. But after allowing three hits and a home run to lose the lead in the fourth, Strasburg wasn’t overwhelmed.
“It’s going to be something to look back on,” manager Jim Riggleman said. “As a manager, you relish it and think about tomorrow’s lineup.”
Indeed, Strasburg only gets until Sunday to relish his first game. Every five days for the next three months, Washington’s version of “The Natural” must improve. That happens when you set the bar at pole vault level.
“I definitely think anything’s possible,” Strasburg said. “I’m still hungry. I still want to get better.”
Better than a 14-strikeout performance while allowing two earned runs on a first-row homer? Strasburg now will receive scouting reports on hitters. He’ll slow his pace some after warming up so quickly even the umpire said to take more time. Those pesky commercials, after all.
“The biggest challenge is understanding a lot of these hitters are very advanced,” Strasburg said. “It will be a new experience to make up a plan to attack hitters. …
“It’s all about experience. It’s all about seeing how my stuff compares to theirs.”
His stuff is better than their stuff even if it was the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. Sorry haters, but throwing in the upper 90s regularly will be enough to beat a few other teams, too.
“The guys from the other side [Pirates], when they came up, they said he was unreal,” catcher Ivan Rodriguez said.
Fans will remember the game vividly, but to Strasburg it was “a blur.”
“It’s like when you get married you go into it wanting to remember everything,” he said, “and when it’s done you can’t remember a single thing.”
Fortunately, Nats fans will remind him of it for the rest of his life. After all, it was unforgettable.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
