The Washington Nationals pulled starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg after 6.2 innings of no-hit ball Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds.
Strasburg threw 109 pitches in the outing, striking out five batters and walking four. But the 27-year-old just came off the 15-day disabled list with an upper-back strain, and the Nationals clearly weren’t keen on pushing him too hard in his first start since June 15.
That made the decision to remove him the right one, as AJ Mass of ESPN.com noted:
Strasburg isn’t the only pitcher to be removed during a no-hitter this year, per ESPN Stats & Info:
With pitcher Joe Ross on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, the Nationals had room to activate Strasburg on the roster. That likely means promising prospect Lucas Giolito will remain in the rotation, at least for the time being.
But little is more important in Washington than keeping Strasburg healthy. The star pitcher, who signed a seven-year, $175 million contract this year, came into Sunday 10-0 with a 2.90 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 118 strikeouts in 93.0 innings pitched.
Alongside Max Scherzer, Strasburg gives the Nationals one of the best one-two punches in baseball, while Ross, Tanner Roark and Gio Gonzalez round out a nice rotation. And the Nationals have excellent depth at the position as well, as they can simply call on baseball’s top prospect, Giolito, to fill in for Strasburg and Ross as needed.
But an ace like Strasburg is the difference between the Nationals competing for a World Series this season and potentially missing the postseason altogether. Keeping him healthy will be prioritized above all else, even if a no-hitter is on the line.
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