PITCHER OF PERFECTION
At 13-0, Strasburg NL anomaly
WASHINGTON Watching Stephen Strasburg on the mound in 30C heat, Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker recalled how he heard the right-hander would “wilt” in these situations.
Nothing about Strasburg’s outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates Friday, or any other opponent this season, has resembled wilting. Strasburg is the first National League starting pitcher to begin a season 13-0 in more than 100 years, a recapturing of the dominance he showed early in his career before Tommy John surgery.
Strasburg has won 16 consecutive decisions dating back to September and during that stretch, has struck out 182 batters and walked 37. This season his 2.51 ERA is sixth-best in the majors, and his command of his pitches is reflected in the numbers.
“In my opinion this has been the best year I’ve seen him pitch,” catcher Wilson Ramos said through an interpreter. “He’s been very effective attacking the zone, keeping the ball down. He’s been hitting his spots very well with all his pitches.”
Mixing his overpowering fastball with a cutter, curveball and change-up, Strasburg has thrown an impressive 66.4 per cent of his pitches for strikes this season, yet batters are hitting .195 against him with only 11 home runs in 17 starts.
Perhaps the most impressive number is the zero in the loss column. “He hasn’t lost. That’s pretty hard to do up here,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It’s in late July and he hasn’t lost a game. Whatever he’s doing, he’s probably going to continue it.”
Strasburg ’s 13 victories to open a season are tied with teammate Max Scherzer and former Yankee Ron Guidry as the sixth-longest streak in major league history and marks the longest in the NL for a starter since Rube Marquard of the New York Giants went 18-0 in 1912.
Asked if this felt like a 13-0 season, the 27-year-old didn’t know how to answer.
“The results, I can’t control,” said Strasburg, who signed a $175-million, seven-year contract extension in May. “I’m trying to go out there and execute pitches and roll with the highs and lows. It’s always going to be that way. You ask any veteran pitcher in the league, there are years where they feel like they really dominated all year and just didn’t have the numbers to show for it and there are other years where they feel like they really didn’t pitch to the level they expected and they had all the numbers to show for it.”
After an injury-filled 2015 that included a strained left trapezius muscle, a strained oblique and other tweaks that had little to do with pitching, Strasburg changed his workout approach. He doesn’t exercise more or less, just different.
“As I’ve gotten older it’s not trying to go out there and lift the house in the weight room,” Strasburg said. “I think I’ve just been trying to get back to square one, ready for the next start.”