The Indians are next in line to face Washington rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg, who fanned 14 Pirates in his Major League debut on Tuesday.
Rookie Stephen Strasburg went through the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup on Tuesday as if he were Nolan Ryan throwing coach-pitch fastballs past a T-ball team.
A year ago, Stephen Strasburg was dreaming of a career in pro baseball. Tuesday, he struck out 14 Pirates in his debut for the Washington Nationals. Next in his sights: The Indians. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
The Washington Nationals phenom fanned 14 Bucs in his debut in the nation's capital Tuesday night. Which, to put it into perspective, shouldn't be that hard to do, considering Pittsburgh has a Major League-low .236 team batting average.
Still, it was an impressive debut. Only one pitcher in baseball history, the Astros' intimidating 6-foot-8 J.R. Richard, had more in his first start: 15. A pregame stroke that nearly killed him in 1980 derailed Richard's career when he was only 30. The great Joe Morgan once said he got "goosebumps to think of what he could have become."
Strasburg's next scheduled start is at 1:05 p.m. Sunday ... in Progressive Field against the Indians, according to the Washington Post. Now, not to kick a dead horse -- or at least one that's really, REALLY sick -- the Tribe is only hitting eight points higher than the Senators.
So the question is, how many Indians will be sent back to the bench shaking their heads after becoming Ks in the budding Strasburg legacy?