Even before he took the mound for his National League debut tonight in Washington, Stephen Strasburg had become a household name. The flame-throwing pitcher’s debut came just one year after signing a record $15.1 million contract with the Nationals.

Hoping to help lift a slumping Nats team, Strasburg was put on the fast track to the majors. Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 21-year-old phenom lived up to the hype, striking out 14 of the 21 batters he faced and giving up two runs, both coming on a two-run dinger by Delwyn Young.

The most impressive stat may be the fact he walked not a single batter, even after falling behind 3-0 and 3-1 on a few occasions.

With a wicked curve ball coupled with his smoking fastball that reached 100 mph and was consistently in the high 90 mph range, Strasburg’s debut came in front of more than 40,000 fans at a standing room only Nationals Park.

After being greeted with a standing ovation, first inning jitters were apparent as Strasburg had trouble finding the strike zone, but once he found it, he was almost unstoppable.

Before taking the mound tonight, Strasburg was a sensation. During his short time at Triple-A Syracuse, he had a 1.08 ERA. He struck out 38 batters in 33.1 innings and walked only seven. Earlier this week, a baseball card of Strasburg sold on eBay for around $17,000 and tickets to tonight’s game were sold out within two hours of the announcement that Strasburg was being called up and starting.

Often compared to Kerry Wood, among other pitchers who have had incredible rookie years, Strasburg does appear to be somewhat different. Looking at all the angles, his mechanics, for one, are better than Wood’s. He was able to mix up his pitches, so hitters really didn’t know what his first pitch to them would be. But it was that awesome curve ball that was a joy for fans to watch, but a frustration to Pirates batters.

With this 5-2 win under his belt, Strasburg has a decision to make. The mayor of the town of Strasburg, VA, has said that if Strasburg won his first game, he would be awarded the Pride of Strasburg Award. If Strasburg accepts it in person, the town will be renamed Stephen Strasburg, VA, for one week.

Keep watching this kid. He looks like the real deal, and if he stays healthy, his career could provide historic numbers and end at Cooperstown in baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Copyright © 2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The Brew Crew handed the Pittsburgh Pirates a classic bitch-slapping, squashing them in a three-game series while sending 36 runners across the plate. Milwaukee outscored the listless Pirates 36-1 in the 3-game series with the final game a 25-hit, 20-0 mercy killing.

That loss was the most lopsided in the Pirates 124-year history and BTW, this all happened on Pittsburgh’s home field.

“It was fun and it was special . . . I enjoyed it.” said Brewers Ryan Braun after knocking two over the fence and driving in 5 runs in the 20-0 game.

Yeah, fun and special for the ones laying out the can of whoopass on a group of MLB impersonators. Now ask the Pirates what they thought of the 20-0 disaster.

Pirates’ pitcher Daniel McCutchen (0-2) 14.73 ERA said this:

“Lots of times, it felt like I was throwing batting practice to them.”

Maybe because you basically were . . .

Pirates manager John Russell chimed in with the obvious:

“They came in and kicked our butt.”

Yes they did and they threw in a couple of backhanded bitch-slaps in just for good measure.

This is becoming a part of a pattern for the Pirates who have lost eight times this season by six or more runs while being outscored in those games 85-13.

That 85-13 is not a typo, people . . . it’s just an all out swift kick in the nuts!

20-0 box score on MLB.com

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

Aubrey Huff never had a three home run game in his Major League career, but that’s not going to keep him from telling his grandchildren otherwise.

Despite absolutely crushing three balls to the deepest parts of AT&T Park on Wednesday in the Giants 6-0 win over the Pirates, Huff is still without a personal long-ball trifecta.

“I’ve never had a three-home-run game. I’m going to go ahead and chalk that up as a three-home-run game in my mind,” Huff said. “I don’t know if I can hit a ball any better. I hit one to center for an out and the one to right-center was just ridiculous.

If that don’t go out, I don’t know what you can do. Everybody in spring told me, ‘You’ll see, you’ll see.’ I’m like, ‘Come on, if you get it it’s going to go.’ ‘Nah. …’ “I get it now. I get it,” Huff said.

In his first at bat against Pirates right-hander Charlie Morton leading off the second inning, the Giants cleanup hitter smoked a ball high off the right-center field wall. It kicked toward the foul line, away from right fielder Garrett Jones, and before second baseman Akinori Iwamura could retrieve the unusual carom, Huff was sliding safely into home, earning his first homer as a Giant in less than conventional fashion.

“When I hit it, I thought it was gone anyway. In most parks it is,” Huff told the Associate Press. “I saw it bounce off the wall and as soon as I rounded first I saw it took an amazing hop right. I’m like: ‘Oh boy, here we go. If I am going to hit one out I’m going to try to get a cheapie.'”

Later, to end the fourth inning, Huff watched in frustration as Pittsburgh center-fielder Andrew McCutchen ran down his long fly-out in deep center. His next at bat in the sixth, resulted in another China Basin cruelty, as Huff’s smash was absorbed by the vaunted “Triples Alley, ” ironically holding him to a double.

It was the fourth time in the series Huff was likely robbed by the dimensions of his new home.

Aaron Rowand and Eli Whiteside didn’t endure similar misfortunes. Whiteside’s three-run blast – his first of the year – into the left field seats staked his battery mate Jonathan Sanchez (1-0) to a 4-0 second-inning lead, and Rowand’s fifth-inning bolt made it 6-0. Since opening the season 0-for-10, Rowand is 12-for-30 (.438), and has more hits than any leadoff hitter in baseball on the year.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy was unsure about writing Whiteside’s name into the lineup early on Wednesday with Bengie Molina amidst a scorching stretch at the plate. But after going 2-for-3, and catching a scoreless eight-inning, 11 strikeout performance by Sanchez, Whiteside proved to be up to the challenge.
“Pretty good job back there,” Sanchez said of Whiteside. “He got me deep in the game.”

Outside of a shaky first inning, Sanchez was excellent, but had to escape a bases-loaded jam in the sixth to earn his first career win over the Pirates. It was his fourth career outing with 10 or more strikeouts, and the 11 matched a career high he set during his no-hitter last July 10. Sanchez, who received a standing ovation while walking off the field in the eighth, went more than seven innings for the first time since August 26, against Arizona (seven starts).
“I feel more confident out there,” Sanchez said. “I can trust myself now.”

The Giants improved to 7-2 in 2010, the team’s best start since going 8-1 to open the 2003 season. That year the Giants went 100-62 to win the NL West.

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Theo is a staff reporter and feature writer for the Marin Independent Journal where he covers local prep and college sports. As an Associate Production Manager for ESPN, he helped produce Sunday Night Baseball among other national ESPN and ABC Sports telecasts. Besides his contributions to Examiner.com, the I.J. and Sports Climax, Theo is the play-by-play voice for Sonoma State University baseball and softball.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™