Strasburg 1st No. 1 overall pick named WS MVP
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HOUSTON -- They needed him in 2009, when they were a flailing franchise in possession of the first pick of the MLB Draft. And they needed him a decade later, when they handed him the ball for the win-or-go-home Game 6 of this World Series against the Astros.
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Stephen Strasburg stepped up in both instances. He was a no-doubt-about-it No. 1 pick, one of the greatest prospects the game had ever seen, and, over time, he¡¯s proven to be one of its premier pitchers. Now, with two winning efforts in a Fall Classic that went the distance, Strasburg was a suitable selection for the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet.
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| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Oct. 22 | WSH 5, HOU 4 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 23 | WSH 12, HOU 3 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 25 | HOU 4, WSH 1 | Watch |
| Gm 4 | Oct. 26 | HOU 8, WSH 1 | Watch |
| Gm 5 | Oct. 27 | HOU 7, WSH 1 | Watch |
| Gm 6 | Oct. 29 | WSH 7, HOU 2 | Watch |
| Gm 7 | Oct. 30 | WSH 6, HOU 2 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: ¡°It¡¯s just surreal,¡± Strasburg said after the Nationals¡¯ 6-2 victory in the Game 7 clincher at Minute Maid Park. ¡°And just being able to do it with this group of guys, it¡¯s something special. Every one of those guys, we all stuck together.¡±
The first pitcher to win the MVP honor since the Giants¡¯ Madison Bumgarner in 2014 and the 29th overall, Strasburg won Games 2 (six innings, two runs, seven strikeouts, one walk) and 6 (8 1/3 innings, two runs, seven strikeouts, five hits, two walks) -- both on the road. With an opt-out decision looming and four years and $100 million on the table, he loaded up on leverage with this pristine postseason showing, only adding to the intrigue of the contract clause.
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Strasburg¡¯s extended Game 6 effort, at a moment when the Nats were trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven set, made him the first hurler since Curt Schilling in Game 5 of the 1993 World Series to toss at least 8 1/3 innings while not allowing more than two runs in a potential Fall Classic elimination game for his team.
For his postseason career, the 31-year-old Strasburg has a 1.46 ERA that stands as the third lowest in postseason history among those with at least 40 innings, trailing only Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera (0.70) and Sandy Koufax (0.95).
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The above is affirmation of everything the Nationals believed about Strasburg when they followed the sure industry consensus, plucked him out of San Diego State and gave him a record-breaking four-year, $15.1 million contract from the start. They later signed him to a mega-extension in 2016.
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Strasburg became the first No. 1 overall pick to win the World Series MVP -- a fact that pleasantly surprised Nats general manager Mike Rizzo.
¡°He¡¯s been near and dear to my heart,¡± a champagne-soaked Rizzo said after receiving that news. ¡°He¡¯s grown so much as a person and as a pitcher. When we first drafted him, he was a stuff guy, more of a thrower than a pitcher. Now, he¡¯s a complete pitcher, a pillar in our community and a leader on this ballclub -- a guy we lean on in critical situations.¡±
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Strasburg proved ready to be leaned upon. He is the first pitcher to go 5-0 in a single postseason. Along the way, Strasburg struck out 47 batters, tying with Gerrit Cole for the second most in a postseason in MLB history (Schilling holds the record with 56 in 2001). Strasburg had an 11.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, third best in postseason history behind only Cliff Lee (23.5 in 2010) and Josh Beckett (17.5 in '07), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
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The famous September shutdown of 2012, aimed at protecting Strasburg¡¯s valuable and surgically repaired right arm at a young age, served as one of the decade¡¯s largest ¡°what-ifs.¡± But it¡¯s officially deep in the rearview after Strasburg¡¯s massive contribution to the franchise¡¯s first World Series run.
¡°I buried it a week after 2012,¡± Rizzo said. ¡°But people seem to keep bringing it up a lot. It was something we did before Stras, we did it since Stras, it¡¯s just the way we do our Tommy John protocol. It helps us in the long run to care more about our players than other teams do. That¡¯s the way we do it here. We care about our players. Sometimes, you have to take a step sideways to go forward. If it¡¯s in the benefit of a player¡¯s health and wherewithal, we do it.¡±
Added Strasburg: ¡°It's so long ago, and I think you try not to look in the past and you try not to look in the future.¡±
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So what, exactly, does the future hold for Strasburg and the Nationals?
Because of the built-in opt-out, it might be time to negotiate a new deal, or else Strasburg has the option of exploring the open market.
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¡°That¡¯s business for tomorrow,¡± Rizzo said. ¡°We¡¯ll worry about it tomorrow. He¡¯s one of the best pitchers in the league, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get paid like it.¡±
If this was actually the end of Strasburg's decade-long tenure with the Nats¡¯ organization, it was a heck of a way to go out. But if this turns out to be a career-long stay in the nation¡¯s capital, this Series storyline was a moment for falling in love all over again.