World Series MVP just four years ago—Fastballer Strasburg can’t make a comeback, eventually retires

바카라사이트Major League Baseball’s most iconic fastball pitcher, Stephen Strasburg (35-Washington), has decided to hang up his glove after failing to blossom again.

The news of Strasburg’s decision to hang up the gloves broke across the US media on the 25th.

Strasburg was hailed as one of the greatest talents of all time and signed an astronomical contract, but after a short-lived prime, he was plagued by injuries and eventually left the mound.

Strasburg joined the Nats with the first overall pick in the 2009 draft after being considered a top college prospect. He made his big league debut the following year with a fastball in the high 90s and went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA before reaching double figures in wins for the first time in 2012.

He then posted six straight double-digit wins from 2014 to 2019, most notably in 2019, when he led the Nats to two World Series titles after winning 18 games in the regular season. He was named Most Valuable Player (MVP), becoming the first No. 1 overall draft pick in history to win a World Series MVP.

Naturally, the Nats signed Strasburg to a long-term deal shortly thereafter. It was a massive seven-year, $245 million deal, but his prime wore off and injuries followed. Strasburg had surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome in 2020, the first year of his contract, and went 1-0 with a 10.80 ERA, then pitched just five games in 2021 with a shoulder injury and one game in 2022 with an elbow injury.

This year, he didn’t pitch a game at all, and after a prolonged injury slump, he decided to hang up his jersey. This ends Strasburg’s career after four years on a seven-year contract, in which he appeared in eight games, pitched 31.1 innings, and won one game. After next year, he still has three more years left on his deal, which runs through 2026, for a total of $105 million. Since it’s already a done deal, the Nats will have to pay Strasburg all of it.