Fastball

Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals Stands Alone in the Baseball Record Books

As longtime Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg gets set to retire, it should not be forgotten that he's the only player to ever accomplish this feat.

Brady Farkas

Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals Stands Alone in the Baseball Record Books
Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals Stands Alone in the Baseball Record Books /
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On Thursday, Washington Nationals legend Stephen Strasburg announced that he was going to retire from Major League Baseball.

The righty has been beset by injuries and has only throw 31.1 innings over the last four seasons. He signed a seven-year contract after the 2019 season.

One of the most anticipated careers of the last 15 years, Strasburg largely lived up to the hype. He was a three-time All-Star who went 113-62 with a lifetime 3.24 ERA. He made at least 22 starts every year from 2012-2019, led the league in wins in 2019 and helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series.

He's also the only player in baseball history to do this, per @OptaSTATS:

Stephen Strasburg is the only major leaguer to be drafted first overall and win World Series MVP. 

No. 1 Draft Picks to..... 

Win World Series MVP 1 

Win Conn Smythe Trophy 5 

Win Super Bowl MVP 6 

Win NBA Finals MVP 8

There is a lot of pressure that comes with being the top overall pick in a draft and Strasburg was able to rise on the biggest stage. In that 2019 World Series against the Houston Astros, he went 2-0 with a 2.51 ERA over 14.1 innings. He registered 14 strikeouts in the series.

The 35-year-old will walk away from baseball having amassed 1,723 strikeouts in his career and having made 247 starts.

He will get the full salary he's owed from the Nationals, which was $245 million in total value. He's already collected some of that from 2020-2023 so far.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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