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Washington Nationals starting pitcher and 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg officially retired from baseball on Saturday.
Strasburg played 13 seasons in Washington and was named an All-Star three times. He is best known for leading the Nationals to the 2019 World Series championship, going 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five postseason starts. Two of those wins came against the Houston Astros in the championship round.
Neither Strasburg nor the team announced the decision, but the player’s name was listed in MLB transaction records.
Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLB draft, entered MLB as perhaps the best pitching prospect in baseball history. Most of his career lived up to the hype, starting with 14 strikeouts in his professional debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He went on to win 113 games, posting a 3.24 ERA and an average of 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
However, despite Strasburg’s success, his stardom was tarnished by a number of injuries.
He took a hiatus during his rookie year due to Tommy John surgery, underwent carpal tunnel surgery in 2020, and has been dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome since 2022. The latter occurs when nerves and blood vessels in the lower neck and upper chest become compressed.
Strasburg had pitched just 4 2/3 innings since June 9, 2022.
He signed a seven-year, $245 million contract extension in December 2019 after appearing in the World Series. He is owed more than $100 million by the franchise over his remaining years. The Nationals and Strasburg agreed to a financial settlement this week, according to multiple reports.
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