POLL: Stephen Strasburg’s debut
Posted by Andy on June 8, 2010
One year after being drafted by the Nationals, Stephen Strasburg makes his major-league debut tonight against the Pirates. Please vote in the polls below. Also, it's not too late to participate in our Strasburg & Nationals-themed Week 3 Stat Challenge and win yourself a Play Index subscription.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:33 am
I don't know that he'll struggle, but if they didn't let him go past 5 in Syracuse I don't think he's going to tonight.
June 8th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
acceptable but no decision
June 8th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
I would have picked 6 innings and the win, but I'll go with 7. If he's feeling it - and a 97 mph curveball is kinda difficult to NOT feel - I think they'll let him hit 100 pitches.
June 8th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
I'm not a big fan of my options for this poll.
I think he will have a slightly below average start. 5IP 3ER maybe 8H 5K
June 8th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Too few choices in the poll. How about 6+ IP and a ND? (Or possibly a win, if the GNats offense gives him some support.)
June 8th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
The poll is just a starting point...I couldn't go crazy with tons of options. Just keep posting your best guesses in the comments.
June 8th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
His first two starts will be against the Pirates and the Indians, and later this month he has a chance to face the Orioles. Talk about an ideal way to start your career facing 3 of the worst offenses in the majors.
June 8th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
And as long as we're posting best guesses...6.1 3ER 7H 6K 1BB, ND with the bullpen blowing it in the 7th/8th
June 8th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Perfect Game!
June 8th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
6.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, and a no decision.
June 8th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
By the way, if it were me, I have McCutchen bunt to lead off the game. I think the worst thing that can happen for the Pirates is a K to start the game. I'd much rather take a nervous guy and bunt on him...decent enough chance the batter reaches by hit or error.
June 8th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Jim Riggleman said on the Mike Francesa show today that Strasburg won't pitch into the 7th unless he has a very low pitch count. My guess:
5.2 IP
5 H
2 R (2 ER)
3 BB
6 K
91 pitches
June 8th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
5.2 ip, 5 h, 1 bb, 2 er, 7 k
ND
June 8th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
6 ip, 2 h 4 bb, 1 er, 5 k
He's facing Pittsburgh, so I expect a strong performance.
June 8th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Perfect game, facing 26 batters and striking out 26, while picking one man off in the on-deck circle.
June 8th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
He will only pitch seven innings, and then go to the Gulf to plug the oil gusher with a well-placed slider.
June 8th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Game stats of the five previous overall-No.-1 picks who made their major-league debuts as starting pitchers:
David Clyde, Tex., 6/27/73: 5 IP, 1 H, 2 R (both earned), 7 BB, 8 K, win, GSc 58.
Mike Moore, Sea., 4/11/82: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R (all earned), 6 BB, 3 K, loss, GSc 44.
Andy Benes, S.D., 8/11/89: 6 IP, 6 H, 6 R (all earned), 4 BB, 7 K, 3 HR, loss, GSc 39.
Paul Wilson, N.Y. (N), 4/4/96: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R (all earned), 2 BB, 6 K, no decision, GSc 52.
Kris Benson, Pitt., 4/9/99: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R (earned), 3 BB, 3 K, win, GSc 64.
So the longest any of these pitchers went in his debut game is 6.1 innings.
The other seven overall-No.-1 pitchers debuted as relievers: Floyd Bannister, Hou., 4/19/77 (took loss); Tim Belcher, L.A., 9/6/87 (got win); Ben McDonald, Bal., 9/6/89; Matt Anderson, Det., 6/25/98 (blew save and got win); Bryan Bullington, Pitt., 9/18/05; Luke Hochevar, K.C., 9/8/07; David Price, T.B., 9/14/08.
Put me down me for 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R (earned), 1 BB, 7 K and no decision.
June 8th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
How about predicting Game Scores? I'll say 60.
June 8th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
I agree with Tomepp. Six innings, seven strikeouts, five hits, two earned. Quality start, but no decision.
June 8th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
And then after the Pirates, Indians, and Orioles, he'll have a chance to pick up his first major league shutout against the Phillies.
June 8th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Should lock up the poll. A lot of votes for the second one will come flooding in soon. 🙂
June 8th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
closed it!
June 8th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
I was at the Price game. He was mesmerizing. Then Jeter broke the spell with a long homer. But you could tell he was for real.
June 8th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
He falls short of the debut record of 15 K's held by J.R. Richard and Karl Spooner, but he finished with seven straight K's. That might be the record for consecutive K's in a debut (if that isn't too qualified a definition to be considering interesting). We talked about this in the other thread. The record was six held by Karl Spooner and Pete Richert (Richert's was his first six batters).
Richert:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196204120.shtml
Spooner:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO195409220.shtml
June 8th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
You're forgetting Bob Feller, DavidRF! I think it's safe to say that his 15 K's are the most well-known debut record.
June 8th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Oh, my mistake. That was Bob's first start, not his debut.
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