The back and forth about when the Nationals’ first-overall draft pick, Steven “the Savior” Strasburg, would be called up from Triple-A Syracuse has officially come to a close: the Nationals have announced he will get the start on Tuesday, June 8th against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
We’d tell you to buy your tickets now, but, yeah, good luck with that.
The news comes on the same day that the Examiner authors a post calling Nationals Park a “strikeout” so far, as the urban renewal the park was supposed to catalyze has mostly been on hold for the past two years due to the recession. For those of you (not) following along at home, the Nationals are currently a .500 ballclub, thanks mostly to halfway-decent pitching, so Strasburg’s arrival may precipitate something of a mid-season rally, although overtaking the Braves and Phillies to truly contend for a playoff spot might still be a pipe dream.
We’re sure everyone in Pittsburgh is too giddy about hosting the Winter Classic to particularly care, but next Tuesday’s crowd should be bigger than any crowd Pittsburgh’s been able to muster for their baseball franchise in some time.
