Stephen Strasburg's Career Celebrated by MLB Fans After Nationals Star's Retirement

Pitcher Stephen Strasburg is planning to retire after 13 seasons with the Washington Nationals, per the Washington Post's Jesse Dougherty and Barry Svrluga.

Strasburg, who last pitched in June 2022, has spent most of the last three seasons sidelined by injury.

The news of his impeding retirement earned heartfelt reactions from baseball fans who had hoped for three years that Strasburg would eventually be healthy enough to return to the form that made him the MVP of the 2019 World Series.

Strasburg, the first pick of the 2009 MLB draft, made his first Nationals appearance against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 8, 2010. The debut was so highly-anticipated it became dubbed by local sports media as "Strasmas."

The San Diego State product lived up to the hype by throwing 65 strikes on 94 pitches. He fanned 14 Pirates batters, coming one short of the most strikeouts ever recorded by a pitcher in his MLB debut.

Nine years later, Strasburg played a key role in bringing home the first title in Nationals franchise history. He became the first pitcher to be named MVP of the World Series since 2014 after hurling 8.1 successful innings in a must-win Game 6 against the Houston Astros.

Strasburg's severe arm issues derailed his career following the World Series victory, but several fans pointed out that his stats prior to his injuries were worthy of a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Strasburg will finish his career with three top-10 finishes in Cy Young voting (2014, 2017 and 2019) and the most strikeouts (1,723) in Nationals franchise history.

The Nationals are tentatively expected to make an official announcement regarding Strasburg's retirement prior to a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers September 9 at Nationals Park, according to Dougherty and Svrluga.