Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg Makes History during Win

Washington Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg excelled in all facets of the game, leading his team to victory on the mound and the batter’s box.

The Washington Nationals secured a victory on Thursday against the National League East leaders, thanks in large part to starter Stephen Strasburg’s incredible all-around performance.

Strasburg is consistently reliable on the mound, and that didn’t change yesterday.  The right-hander threw 5.1 solid innings against the pesky Atlanta Braves offense, allowing three earned runs on eight hits while striking out seven.

However, what got Nats fans talking, and the entire baseball world, frankly, was Strasburg’s genuinely historic day in the batter’s box.

In the third inning, Strasburg led off the inning with a single.  It was his fourth hit of the season.

In the same inning, after his teammates scored five runs, Strasburg ripped a pitch over the left-field bullpen at 105 miles per hour, scoring three more runs.

That was Strasburg’s fourth career home run and his first since 2017.

Strasburg’s incredible inning made him the first pitcher in Nationals/Expos history to record two hits in the same inning.

Additionally, Strasburg became the first pitcher since 2014 to record five RBI’s in a single game.

Oh, and you thought that was it?  Nope, I’ve got more stats!

Strasburg became the first pitcher since Edwin Jackson in 2010 to record two hits in the same inning, with one of the hits being a home run.

No matter how you slice it, Strasburg had one of his best career games last night.  He was fantastic in all areas of the game, including in the field.

In the fifth inning, after surrendering a leadoff single, Strasburg caught a bullet off the bat of Ronald Acuna Jr., which allowed him to double-off Johan Camargo at first base.

In the span of 5.1 innings, Strasburg raised his OPS from .234 to .418 and lowered his FIP from 3.12 to 3.07.  All in all, it was a pretty good day at the office for No. 37.