Pitcher returns a year after elbow surgery It has been 369 days since Stephen Strasburg underwent Tommy John surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his powerful right elbow. It has been 381 days since he last toed the rubber for the Nationals.
Weather permitting, the wait finally ends Tuesday at Nationals Park when Strasburg is scheduled to pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. One of baseball’s most heralded prospects will try to pick up where he left off last summer after 12 sensational starts that passed like a blur before his elbow gave out suddenly during an Aug. 21 game at Philadelphia. Strasburg had surgery Sept.?3. He couldn’t throw a baseball for five months and needed almost six more months rehabbing at the organization’s spring training complex in Viera, Fla., before he could begin making minor league rehabilitation starts.
“It seems like it’s been a year,” a sardonic Strasburg said. “I didn’t really know how long it was going to feel like. The first five months [after surgery] when I wasn’t throwing I felt like it was going to take forever. But once I started to get on the mound and facing hitters [in simulated games in June] it started to speed up.”
This is a far different scenario than June 8, 2010, when Strasburg made his first big league start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. That night he had one of the most unforgettable debuts in baseball history with 14 strikeouts before an electric sellout crowd at Nationals Park. This time he will pitch no more than five innings, according to Washington manager Davey Johnson, and throw no more than 60 pitches. If there is any kind of rain delay after Strasburg begins warming up a little after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Nats will not hesitate to scratch him. As of Monday evening, there were still some tickets available to the game, according to team officials.
“[Strasburg’s] been through a lot in a year, especially when he came up with all the expectations,” said Nats outfielder Jayson Werth, who was there as a member of the opposing Phillies the night Strasburg’s elbow ligament snapped. “Tommy John surgery is pretty serious, but nowadays they’re coming back quicker and quicker from it. … Hopefully, we can just get him through the year healthy, get him some innings and build on it for next year.”
Beginning Aug. 7, Strasburg made six minor league rehab starts in Washington’s farm system. In his latest start, he threw six shutout innings at Double-A Harrisburg on Sept. 1. He pitched 201Ú3 innings total with eight earned runs allowed for a 3.54 ERA, but he walked just three batters and struck out 29.
“It’s a little different. I kind of know what to expect,” Strasburg said. “Just going to go out there and do my thing. It’s something that I’ve worked extremely hard for, and that was my goal this whole time to get back out here and pitch in September. So I’m glad I’m able to do it.”
