Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg retires at age 35

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg of San Diego, California retired at the age of 35 on Saturday according to R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports. Strasburg pitched 13 seasons with the Nationals from 2010 to 2022.

Controversy within the last year

There were initial reports that Strasburg was going to retire in the fall. The Nationals had even set up a press conference. However, the press conference was cancelled because the Nationals and Strasburg could not come to financial terms for the remainder of his contract. There was a belief that the Nationals management were trying not to pay Strasburg the full amount according to Anderson. Strasburg did not pitch all of last season and has only pitched eight games since winning the 2019 World Series and being named the 2019 World Series Most Valuable Player because of pain in the arm, shoulder and neck area (thoracic outlet syndrome). It should also be noted that it was Major League Baseball that officially listed Strasburg as retired, and that the Nationals reportedly reached a settlement.

Career Statistics

Strasburg had a record of 113 wins and 62 losses with an earned run average of 3.24. In 247 games and 1470 innings pitched, he had 1723 strikeouts, and gave up 1217 hits, 530 earned runs, 149 home runs, and 394 walks, to go along with a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.10. Strasburg pitched two complete game shutouts. The first came in a 6-0 Nationals win over the Philadelphia Phillies on August 11, 2013, and the second came in a 4-0 Nationals win over the Miami Marlins on August 30, 2017.

Other Career Highlights

Strasburg was the first overall pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft out of San Diego State University. He was a National League All-Star with the Nationals in 2012, 2016 and 2017. He led the National League with 242 strikeouts in 2014 and the National League with 18 wins in 2019. When the Nationals won the 2019 World Series, Strasburg only gave up four earned runs in 14 1/3 innings pitched in two World Series appearances.