Washington Nationals Pitcher Stephen Strasburg Planning to Retire From MLB
Longtime Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg plans to retire from baseball, according to multiple reports.
Strasburg, who won World Series MVP in 2019, has not pitched at all in 2023 due to severe nerve damage. The three-time All-Star made just eight appearances over the last four seasons due to thoracic outlet syndrome, shoulder injuries, rib injuries and more.
According to the Washington Post, a retirement press conference is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 9 at Nationals Park.
Prior to the injury-plagued ending to his career, Strasburg was one of the most feared and respected pitchers in the sport.
Strasburg made his big league debut in 2010, just one year after getting selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft. The right-hander struck out 14 batters in his first-ever appearance, kickstarting a career that largely lived up to the hype.
From 2010 to 2019, Strasburg never had an ERA over 3.75. In that 10-year peak, Strasburg went 112-58 with a 3.17 ERA, 1.086 WHIP and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
Strasburg was named an NL All-Star in 2012, 2016 and 2017, even earning a Silver Slugger in 2012. He finished ninth in NL Cy Young voting in 2014, followed by third in 2017 and fifth in 2019.
That 2019 season was a fitting swan song for Strasburg, considering he didn't see much action in the four following years. Strasburg led the league in wins with 18 and innings with 209.0, finished 15th in NL MVP voting and strung together an iconic run through the playoffs.
Washington went 6-0 when Strasburg took the mound, starting with his scoreless relief outing against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card Game. Strasburg bested the Los Angeles Dodgers twice in the NLDS, picked up a win against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS, then notched two victories against the Houston Astros in the World Series.
Strasburg posted a 1.98 ERA, 0.936 WHIP and 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings across 36.1 innings in the 2019 postseason, lifting the Nationals to their first-ever title in the process.
The Nationals signed Strasburg to a seven-year, $245 million deal following that playoff run, and he has pitched 31.1 innings since. Strasburg's contract has three years and $105 million remaining, which will be paid out since his retirement is for medical reasons, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
For his career, Strasburg racked up 113 wins, 1,723 strikeouts, a 3.24 ERA, a 1.096 WHIP and a 32.3 WAR. The former San Diego State standout's count stats may not put him in a prime position to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame one day, but he was still one of the most dominant pitchers of the 2010s.
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