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What Happened to Stephen Strasburg · Bleacher Report

0:00
Speaker 1: A 100-mile-per-hour fastball. A changeup and curveball that could shatter
0:04
Speaker 1: your knees. The number one overall pick that was so good,
0:08
Speaker 1: some thought he should skip the minor leagues altogether. A
0:12
Speaker 1: major league debut that was like a national holiday for
0:16
Speaker 1: the fans of the Washington Nationals. A three-time All-Star. A
0:19
Speaker 1: World Series champion and a World Series MVP. Most thought
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Speaker 1: he could become the best pitcher ever. And then at
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Speaker 1: age 33, he retired from Major League Baseball. So what
0:31
Speaker 1: the f * * * happened to Steven Strasburg? Growing
0:39
Speaker 1: up a Padres fan in San Diego, Steven Strasburg had
0:42
Speaker 1: just a 1 in 10 record his junior year of
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Speaker 1: high school. But he bounced back big time his senior
0:49
Speaker 1: year with a microscopic 1.68 ERA. That's where the potential
0:54
Speaker 1: started to show, but the hype train hadn't quite left
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Speaker 1: the station. Steven Strasburg wasn't a major recruit out of
1:00
Speaker 1: high school. Needing to still develop his arsenal of pitches,
1:03
Speaker 1: he knew he needed to go to college, and his
1:05
Speaker 1: dream school was Stanford. He decided on the local school,
1:09
Speaker 1: San Diego State. And San Diego State had one very
1:13
Speaker 1: important alum, Tony Gwynn, arguably the greatest pure hitter in
1:18
Speaker 1: baseball history.
1:20
Speaker 2: Nicknamed Mr.
1:20
Speaker 1: Padre, Tony Gwynn was baseball in San Diego. He was
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Speaker 1: also Steven Strasburg's favorite player growing up. And guess who
1:29
Speaker 1: was the head coach of San Diego State baseball when
1:31
Speaker 1: Steven Strasburg got to campus in 2007?
1:33
Speaker 2: Tony Gwynn.
1:36
Speaker 1: Strasburg would be under the tutelage of a baseball superstar
1:39
Speaker 1: at San Diego State.
1:41
Speaker 2: And that's where the hype really began to take off.
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Speaker 1: The future World Series MVP wasn't even guaranteed to be
1:48
Speaker 1: a pitcher when he arrived at San Diego State. His
1:50
Speaker 1: coaches even reportedly said that he was overweight and out
1:54
Speaker 1: of shape.
1:55
Speaker 2: It was even bad.
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Speaker 1: Enough that his conditioning coach even said he should consider
2:00
Speaker 1: quitting baseball altogether.
2:02
Speaker 2: Giving him the nickname Slothburg. But in his.
2:06
Speaker 1: First semester at San Diego State, Strasburg lost 30 pounds
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Speaker 1: and his coaches started putting him in high pressure situations
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Speaker 1: to strike while the iron was hot.
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Speaker 2: And Strasburg rose to the occasion.
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Speaker 1: During his freshman season, mostly used as a relief pitcher,
2:21
Speaker 1: Strasburg held his opponents to a batting average against of 141.
2:27
Speaker 1: It was good enough for him to be named co-freshman
2:29
Speaker 1: of the year in the Mountain West. In his second
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Speaker 1: year for the Aztecs, Strasburg converted to a full-time starting pitcher, and.
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Speaker 2: He was fantastic. He added eight.
2:38
Speaker 1: Miles per hour to his fastball, which was now sitting
2:41
Speaker 1: between 96 and 100 miles per hour. He became so
2:46
Speaker 1: dominant that year that he was the only college player
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Speaker 1: to join Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics at
2:51
Speaker 1: 20 years old. In his first start at the Olympics
2:57
Speaker 1: versus the Netherlands, he struck out 11 batters in seven innings,
3:01
Speaker 1: helping the United States earn a bronze medal at that Olympics.
3:05
Speaker 1: His junior year is where it all came together. Strasburg
3:08
Speaker 1: pitched 109 innings. He struck out 195 batters and had
3:11
Speaker 1: a 1.32 ERA. He allowed 16 runs the entire season.
3:13
Speaker 1: And in his final home start, He threw a no-hitter,
3:26
Speaker 1: striking out 17 batter. For that season, Strasburg was awarded
3:30
Speaker 1: the Dick Hauser Trophy, the college baseball equivalent of the Heisman.
3:34
Speaker 1: When it came time for the 2009 MLB draft, it
3:36
Speaker 1: was highly anticipated that Strasburg would be the number one pick.
3:40
Speaker 1: And with that number one pick of the 2009 MLB draft,
3:43
Speaker 1: the Washington Nationals selected Steven Strasburg, pitcher from San Diego State.
3:48
Speaker 1: The Nationals had until August 17th of that year to
3:51
Speaker 1: sign Strasburg to his rookie deal. And 77 seconds before
3:55
Speaker 1: that deadline, the Washington Nationals gave Steven Strasburg a then
3:59
Speaker 1: record-breaking $ 15. 1 million contract, smashing the record for a rookie
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Speaker 1: deal set by Mark Pryor in 2001 for $ 10.
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Speaker 2: 5 million.
4:09
Speaker 1: With a record-breaking contract, the expectations were sky high. There
4:14
Speaker 1: was even speculation that Strasburg could skip the minor leagues altogether.
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Speaker 1: In the history of baseball, only 24 major leaguers have
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Speaker 1: ever skipped the minor leagues and gone straight to professional baseball.
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Speaker 1: It seemed like even a possibility that Nats fans could
4:31
Speaker 1: see Strasburg in September of 2009. But in the end,
4:35
Speaker 1: Nationals fans would have to wait another year to see
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Speaker 1: Strasburg at Nationals Park. In 2010, Strasburg Mania reached its
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Speaker 1: fever pitch. Before the season began, Baseball America named Strasburg
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Speaker 1: the best pitching prospect in baseball. In spring training of
4:53
Speaker 1: that year, Nationals veteran outfielder Niger Morgan gave Strasburg the
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Speaker 1: nickname Jesus. He started in AA Harrisburg, and there was
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Speaker 1: so much hype for his AA debut on April 11th,
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Speaker 1: ESPN broadcasted portions of the games. After a month in AA,
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Speaker 1: Strasburg was promoted to AAA Syracuse. Strasburg's debut for the
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Speaker 1: Syracuse Chiefs set attendance records with 13,000 fans packing the
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Speaker 1: minor league stadium to watch their ace throw six scoreless
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Speaker 1: innings and allowing only one hit. In only 55 innings
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Speaker 1: of minor league baseball, he posted a 1.30 ERA with
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Speaker 1: 65 strikeouts.
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Speaker 2: And that was it.
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Speaker 1: Strasburg's minor league career was over after 11 games.
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Speaker 2: He was ready for the majors, and the majors were
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Speaker 2: ready for him.
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Speaker 1: And Nationals fans' prayers were finally answered when Strasburg took
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Speaker 1: the mound on June 8, 2010. It was a day
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Speaker 1: in DC that was simply known as Strasmus. A city
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Speaker 1: more well-known for its politics than baseball, it felt like
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Speaker 1: an inauguration day. The presumed savior of the franchise was
6:02
Speaker 1: ready to take office. Before even throwing a pitch, Strasburg
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Speaker 1: received a standing ovation.
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Speaker 2: From the crowd as he jogged in from the bullpen.
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Speaker 1: Steven Strasburg pitched seven innings in his Major League Baseball debut.
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Speaker 1: In the first inning, he recorded two outs before striking
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Speaker 1: out his first Major League batter to end the inning.
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Speaker 1: Struck out two more in the third before running into
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Speaker 1: some trouble in the fourth. Strasburg would allow his first
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Speaker 1: Major League hit, and then another, and then later in
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Speaker 1: the inning, Strasburg gave up his first home run.
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Speaker 2: A go-ahead two-run blast from Delwyn Young.
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Speaker 1: But Strasburg had faced adversity before.
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Speaker 2: The kid who.
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Speaker 1: Only won one game his junior year of high school.
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Speaker 1: The kid whose strength and conditioning coach in college told
6:45
Speaker 1: him to consider quitting baseball. This was nothing new for
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Speaker 1: Steven Strasburg. After allowing the go-ahead home run in the
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Speaker 1: fourth inning of his debut, Steven Strasburg would face nine
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Speaker 1: more batters. He struck out eight of those nine. He
7:00
Speaker 1: finished his major league debut with 14 strikeouts, and most importantly,
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Speaker 1: a curly W in the scorebook.
7:09
Speaker 2: It was the summer of Strauss in DC.
7:12
Speaker 1: He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated following his
7:14
Speaker 1: second start. His number 37 jersey was the top selling
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Speaker 1: jersey in all of baseball in the month of June,
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Speaker 1: and became the best selling Nationals jersey of all time.
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Speaker 1: The Nationals phenom would make 11 more starts that year.
7:28
Speaker 1: hosting a 2-9-1 ERA and striking out 92 batters in
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Speaker 1: only 68 innings pitched. But that was it for his
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Speaker 1: rookie season. And that's where we start a new chapter
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Speaker 1: of the Steven Strasburg story. Strasburg had hit the 15-day
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Speaker 1: IL in July of his rookie season with shoulder soreness
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Speaker 1: before returning in August and making three more starts. But
7:52
Speaker 1: on August 27, 2010, the Nationals made a heartbreaking announcement.
7:56
Speaker 1: Steven Strasburg needed Tommy John surgery. Strasburg would miss almost
8:01
Speaker 1: all of the 2011 season, but did return in September
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Speaker 1: of that year. He made five starts where he looked amazing,
8:10
Speaker 1: allowing only four runs for the entire month. After that performance,
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Speaker 1: Nats fans hoped 2012 was going to be the year
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Speaker 1: of Steven Strasburg. Maybe he'd compete for a Cy Young
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Speaker 1: and maybe even an MVP. And boy, in the first
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Speaker 1: month of that season, all of that looked like it
8:28
Speaker 1: could come true. In April 2012, Steven Strasburg started five games.
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Speaker 1: He went 2-0, threw 32 innings with 34 strikeouts, and
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Speaker 1: a 1.13 ERA. It was good enough to win NL
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Speaker 1: Pitcher of the Month. But even more good news came
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Speaker 1: for Nats fans in April of 2012. See, Steven Strasburg
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Speaker 1: wasn't the only generational prospect in the national system. The
8:53
Speaker 1: year after the Washington Nationals drafted Steven Strasburg number one overall,
8:57
Speaker 1: they had the number one overall pick again. And in 2011,
9:01
Speaker 1: the Washington Nationals selected Bryce Harper number one overall.
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Speaker 2: If anyone knew.
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Speaker 1: What the Strasburg hype was like, it was Bryce Harper.
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Speaker 1: He was even on the cover of Sports Illustrated at
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Speaker 1: the age of 16, something usually reserved for, you know,
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Speaker 1: like LeBron James. With Strasburg and Harper, the Nationals' future
9:21
Speaker 1: looked bright, but they didn't have to wait.
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Speaker 2: The future was now.
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Speaker 1: The 2012 Nationals had the best record in all of baseball.
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Speaker 1: They won 98 games in 2012, by far the most
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Speaker 1: in franchise history. In a National League East typically dominated
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Speaker 1: by the Braves, Mets, and Phillies, the Nationals took the
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Speaker 1: division crown and never looked back. They had four All-Stars,
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Speaker 1: the Rookie of the Year, the Manager of the Year,
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Speaker 1: and three Silver Sluggers, including Strasburg, who batted. 277 with
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Speaker 1: a home run in 2012. And though they would make
9:56
Speaker 1: the playoffs as the top seed in the National League,
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Speaker 1: it wasn't what everyone was talking about in D.C.
10:02
Speaker 2: That summer. No, the biggest topic of.
10:05
Speaker 1: Conversation for the Nationals in 2012 was, how many innings
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Speaker 1: are they going to let Strasburg pitch? See, the Nationals
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Speaker 1: had put an innings limit on Strasburg as he recovered
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Speaker 1: from his Tommy John surgery. The front office said early
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Speaker 1: in his recovery that once he reached a certain number
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Speaker 1: of innings pitched, his season was over. And yes, that
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Speaker 1: meant if the Nationals made the postseason. Most didn't believe
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Speaker 1: the Nationals would go through with the plan.
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Speaker 2: But they did.
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Speaker 1: And on September 7, 2012, Steven Strasburg was shut down
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Speaker 1: for the year. Strasburg would finish his first full year
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Speaker 1: in the majors with 159 and a third's innings pitched.
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Speaker 1: 197 strikeouts, and.
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Speaker 2: A 3.16 ERA.
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Speaker 1: He was left off the postseason roster as the calendar
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Speaker 1: flipped to October. The Nationals would face the wildcard-winning St.
10:53
Speaker 1: Louis Cardinals in the NLDS. Even without Strasburg, Washington were
10:57
Speaker 1: heavy favorites, but would lose the series in five games
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Speaker 1: as their ace watched from the dugout. To this day,
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Speaker 1: it's a what-if that haunts Nationals fans. Could they have
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Speaker 1: won it all in 2012 had Strasburg pitched that postseason?
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Speaker 1: They had the best record in the sport. It could
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Speaker 1: have been a magical October in the capital. But Strasburg
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Speaker 1: and the Nationals would have to keep waiting. The Nationals
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Speaker 1: would sit atop the NL for much of the next
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Speaker 1: four seasons. From 2013 to 2016, Strasburg would have a 3.20
11:23
Speaker 1: ERA over this stretch and make one All-Star game. The
11:30
Speaker 1: Nationals would also welcome another ace to the rotation in
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Speaker 1: Max Scherzer. Strasburg threw 180-plus innings in both 2013 and 2014.
11:39
Speaker 1: He even led the National League in strikeouts in 2014
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Speaker 1: with 242 strikeouts.
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Speaker 2: But still, more injuries and time on the I.L.
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Speaker 1: Occurred during this stretch, including missing the 2016 postseason. Two
11:54
Speaker 1: other major things happened to Steven Strasburg during this stretch
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Speaker 1: from 2013 to 2016. In May of 2016, the Washington
12:01
Speaker 1: Nationals and Steven Strasburg agreed to a seven-year contract extension
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Speaker 1: worth $ 175 million, making him one of the highest paid
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Speaker 1: players in all of baseball at the time. Most importantly, though,
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Speaker 1: he received a player opt-out clause that he could exercise
12:18
Speaker 1: at the end of the 2019 season.
12:21
Speaker 2: More on that in a bit.
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Speaker 1: And, after a long battle with various forms of mouth cancer,
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Speaker 1: Steven Strasberg's college coach Tony Gwynn died on June 16, 2014.
12:31
Speaker 1: When Strasberg was interviewed after Tony Gwynn passed, he was visibly.
12:34
Speaker 2: Heartbroken and shaken. Strasberg had lost a coach, mentor, and friend.
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Speaker 1: In 2017, it all came together for Steven Strasburg in
12:46
Speaker 1: his age 28 season. Steven Strasburg had the best season
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Speaker 1: of his career. He finished 15-4 with 204 strikeouts and
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Speaker 1: a 2.52 ERA. He was one of the best pitchers
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Speaker 1: in baseball, finishing third in NL Cy Young voting. The
13:04
Speaker 1: next step was postseason success. Strasburg had only made one
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Speaker 1: postseason start to this point. But in 2017, Steven Strasburg
13:12
Speaker 1: and the Nationals would face the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS.
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Speaker 1: Strasburg was phenomenal, pitching seven innings in both games one
13:21
Speaker 1: and four. He allowed zero earned runs and struck out
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Speaker 1: 22 total batters in those two games. And that game
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Speaker 1: four performance was on the road at Wrigley, where he
13:32
Speaker 1: was suffering from flu-like symptoms. The Nationals would lose that
13:36
Speaker 1: game five and not advance to the NLCS, something the
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Speaker 1: franchise had not done since moving to Washington in 2005.
13:43
Speaker 1: In 2018, the Nationals would miss the playoffs, but it
13:45
Speaker 1: was a transformative year in other ways for the franchise.
13:48
Speaker 1: It was Bryce Harper's final year as a Nat before
13:51
Speaker 1: leaving in free agency to the division rival Phillies. But
13:54
Speaker 1: another superstar prospect was called up to the big league club,
13:57
Speaker 1: a 19-year-old by the name of Juan Soto. Steven Strasburg
14:01
Speaker 1: would turn 30 during the 2018 season, closing the chapter
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Speaker 1: on his 20s without a Cy Young or a World Series.
14:07
Speaker 1: But the best was yet to come. In 2019, the
14:10
Speaker 1: Washington Nationals got out to a brutal start. The team
14:14
Speaker 1: started the season with a 19-31 record and were in
14:18
Speaker 1: second to last place in the NL East all the
14:20
Speaker 1: way until mid-June. Then as the weather got hotter in D.C.,
14:24
Speaker 1: so did the Nationals. In June, they went 18-8. They
14:29
Speaker 1: kept it rolling through the All-Star break in July, and
14:31
Speaker 1: in August, they went an absurd 19-7, vaulting them firmly
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Speaker 1: in the wildcard race. And Strasburg was a huge reason
14:40
Speaker 1: for that success. In July 2019, Strasburg put together one
14:44
Speaker 1: of the best stretches of his career.
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Speaker 2: Five starts, five wins.
14:48
Speaker 1: 44 strikeouts and 31 and two-thirds innings pitched, while allowing
14:54
Speaker 1: only four earned runs the entire month. Post-season baseball was
14:59
Speaker 1: back in Washington, but Stross and the Nats would have
15:02
Speaker 1: to play in a one-game wildcard game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
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Speaker 1: His three-time Cy Young-winning teammate Max Scherzer would get the start,
15:09
Speaker 1: but was tagged early going down 3-1 in.
15:12
Speaker 2: The do-or-die game.
15:13
Speaker 1: With a 5.68 ERA, the Nationals' bullpen had struggled all season. So,
15:19
Speaker 1: Nationals manager Davey Martinez had Strossburg enter the game in
15:23
Speaker 1: the sixth inning.
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Speaker 2: His first time.
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Speaker 1: Being used as a reliever since his freshman year at
15:28
Speaker 1: San Diego State. And just like college, Strasburg rose to
15:32
Speaker 1: the occasion, throwing three scoreless innings and allowing only two hits.
15:37
Speaker 1: Then in the bottom of the eighth with two outs
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Speaker 1: and bases loaded, Juan Soto hit a bases clearing single
15:43
Speaker 1: that scored three runs, giving the Nationals a four to
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Speaker 1: three lead, eventually winning the game. And next up was
15:50
Speaker 1: the NLDS versus the Dodgers. Strasburg got the start in
15:54
Speaker 1: game two versus the Dodgers. pitching six innings and allowing
15:57
Speaker 1: one earned run while striking out 10. But in the
16:00
Speaker 1: deciding Game 5 of that series, he got off to
16:03
Speaker 1: a rough start. He went six innings, allowed three earned runs,
16:06
Speaker 1: and those three earned runs looked like enough to get
16:08
Speaker 1: the Dodgers to the NLCS and send Strasburg home with
16:12
Speaker 1: a loss and yet another NLDS exit for the Nationals.
16:16
Speaker 1: But the 2019 Nationals had more magic up their sleeve.
16:20
Speaker 1: In the eighth inning of Game 5, facing Clayton Kershaw,
16:24
Speaker 1: Anthony Rendon had a solo home run to close the
16:26
Speaker 1: lead to 3-2. Then Juan Soto again came up clutch,
16:31
Speaker 1: hitting a game-tying blast off Kershaw to make it 3-3.
16:35
Speaker 1: The game went into extras, where in the 10th inning,
16:38
Speaker 1: Howie Kendrick hit a grand slam.
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Speaker 2: 7-3 Nationals.
16:43
Speaker 1: They were headed to the NLCS for the first time
16:45
Speaker 1: since moving to Washington, D.C., and they would face the St.
16:48
Speaker 1: Louis Cardinals, the team that spoiled the franchise's best season
16:52
Speaker 1: ever in 2012. the postseason that Steven Strasburg was forced
16:57
Speaker 1: to sit out. The 2019 NLCS was over almost as
17:01
Speaker 1: soon as it began. The Nationals nearly no-hit the Cardinals
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Speaker 1: in the first two games of the series in St.
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Speaker 2: Louis.
17:07
Speaker 1: And now, for game three, it was time for Steven
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Speaker 1: Strasburg to finally make that postseason start against the Cardinals.
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Speaker 2: And he was excellent.
17:17
Speaker 1: Strasburg went seven innings, allowing one run and striking out
17:21
Speaker 1: 12 batters. The next night, the Washington Nationals won the pennant.
17:27
Speaker 1: Steven Strasburg and his Nats were headed to the World Series.
17:31
Speaker 1: The Nationals would face one of the best teams of
17:34
Speaker 1: all time in the Fall Classic, the 2019 Houston Astros.
17:38
Speaker 1: A rotation that had 2019 Cy Young winner Justin Verlander
17:44
Speaker 1: and 2019 Cy Young runner-up Garrett Cole.
17:46
Speaker 2: A lineup that had.
17:47
Speaker 1: A former World Series MVP George Springer, former AL MVP
17:52
Speaker 1: Jose Altuve, five-time All-Star Michael Brantley, AL MVP runner-up Alex Bregman,
18:00
Speaker 1: unanimous AL Rookie of the Year Jordan Alvarez, and gold-glover
18:05
Speaker 1: Carlos Correa. The Nationals were massive underdogs. But in Game 1,
18:10
Speaker 1: Max Scherzer out-dueled Garrett Cole alongside more Juan Soto heroics,
18:15
Speaker 1: giving Washington a 1-0 series lead. And for game two,
18:18
Speaker 1: it was finally time for Steven Strasburg to pitch in
18:21
Speaker 1: the World Series. In his first ever World Series inning,
18:25
Speaker 1: Strasburg gave up a two-run home run to Alex Bregman.
18:27
Speaker 2: But that was it.
18:28
Speaker 1: After the first inning, Strasburg would allow just four more
18:31
Speaker 1: hits and no runs while striking out seven over six
18:34
Speaker 1: total innings. It was enough for him to earn another
18:37
Speaker 1: postseason W and a World Series win. The Nationals had
18:40
Speaker 1: stolen both games in Houston, and were up 2-0 in.
18:44
Speaker 2: The World Series.
18:45
Speaker 1: But Washington would lose the next three games of this
18:49
Speaker 1: World Series all at home, and now the Nationals were
18:52
Speaker 1: headed back to Houston down 3-2, needing to win both
18:55
Speaker 1: games or their season was over. Heading into game six
18:58
Speaker 1: and facing elimination, all eyes were on Steven Strasburg. In
19:03
Speaker 1: the first inning, he gave up two runs again, including
19:06
Speaker 1: another home run to Alex Bregman.
19:08
Speaker 2: But again, that was it.
19:09
Speaker 1: Strasburg pitched into the ninth inning, recording 25 of all
19:13
Speaker 1: 27 outs in the game and allowing only five hits.
19:17
Speaker 1: The Nationals had forced a Game 7, and the 2019
19:20
Speaker 1: World Series would be decided by one game. And in
19:23
Speaker 1: that Game 7, down 2-0 late, the Nationals exploded for
19:27
Speaker 1: a three-run seventh inning behind the hero from the NLDS,
19:31
Speaker 1: Howie Kendrick. The Washington Nationals were World Series champions. For
19:35
Speaker 1: his two outstanding starts, including his game six heroics, Steven
19:40
Speaker 1: Strasburg won World Series MVP, becoming only the sixth starting
19:45
Speaker 1: pitcher at the time to win the award in the
19:47
Speaker 1: 21st century. And Strasburg became the only former number one
19:51
Speaker 1: overall draft pick to win World Series MVP. Remember that
19:58
Speaker 1: contract Strasburg signed in 2016? the one that had an
20:02
Speaker 1: opt-out clause after 2019. On December 9th, 2019, a month
20:07
Speaker 1: after winning the World Series, World Series MVP, and opting
20:11
Speaker 1: out of his 2016 contract, Steven Strasburg signed a seven-year,
20:16
Speaker 1: $ 245 million deal with the Nationals, making him the highest-paid
20:22
Speaker 1: pitcher in baseball history at the time. But... Then COVID happens,
20:28
Speaker 1: and the 2020 season is shortened with Strasburg starting the
20:30
Speaker 1: shortened season on the IL with a severe nerve issue
20:33
Speaker 1: in his pitching hand. He'd come back, make two starts,
20:37
Speaker 1: and then go back on the IL for the remainder of.
20:39
Speaker 2: The 2020 season.
20:41
Speaker 1: In 2021, Strasburg made two starts in April before landing
20:45
Speaker 1: on the IL with shoulder inflammation in his throwing arm.
20:48
Speaker 1: He would come back, make three starts before he would
20:51
Speaker 1: land back on the aisle in June with a neck strain.
20:54
Speaker 1: The neck strain was bad enough that Strasburg would need
20:57
Speaker 1: surgery to alleviate neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. He even got
21:01
Speaker 1: a rib and two neck muscles removed during the surgery.
21:05
Speaker 1: His 2021 season was over. When Strasburg recovered from the
21:08
Speaker 1: neck surgery in 2022, he would make one more start
21:12
Speaker 1: in June, giving up seven runs in four innings pitched
21:15
Speaker 1: before going back on the aisle again with a stress
21:18
Speaker 1: reaction in his ribs. He would miss the rest of
21:21
Speaker 1: the 2022 season. Before the 2023 season, Steven Strasburg didn't
21:26
Speaker 1: report to spring training, still dealing with issues from the
21:29
Speaker 1: thoracic outlet syndrome. He did not play to start the season,
21:33
Speaker 1: and on June 3rd, he shut down all physical activities
21:36
Speaker 1: due to severe nerve damage.
21:39
Speaker 2: And that was it.
21:40
Speaker 1: Steven Strasburg never played in Major League Baseball again. In
21:43
Speaker 1: August of 2023, reports surfaced that Strasburg was planning to retire.
21:47
Speaker 1: The press conference announcing his retirement was even planned for
21:50
Speaker 1: early September. But the planned retirement announcement was delayed while
21:54
Speaker 1: the parties worked through issues relating to the remaining obligations
21:58
Speaker 1: under Strasburg's contract. Eventually, the two sides reached a deal
22:02
Speaker 1: to pay out the remainder of Strasburg's uninsured contract under deferrals,
22:06
Speaker 1: which the Nationals will be paying portions of through 2029.
22:11
Speaker 1: On August 6, 2024, Steven Strasburg officially retired from Major
22:15
Speaker 1: League Baseball. Steven Strasburg signed a $ 245 million contract and
22:22
Speaker 1: started eight games after that. That's $ 30. 6 million per start
22:29
Speaker 1: if all performance bonuses were earned by Strasburg.
22:32
Speaker 2: So what happened?
22:34
Speaker 1: As wild as that number sounds, the reality is that
22:37
Speaker 1: a series of serious injuries, including thoracic outlet syndrome, effectively
22:42
Speaker 1: ended his career shortly after signing that record deal. And
22:45
Speaker 1: it's important to note how serious thoracic outlet syndrome is.
22:49
Speaker 1: TOS is when there's a compression of nerves between your
22:52
Speaker 1: neck and your shoulder. It can cause pain all the
22:56
Speaker 1: way down your arm and into your thumb. It mostly
22:59
Speaker 1: plagues MLB pitchers, But there was another generational former number
23:04
Speaker 1: one overall pick that suffered from TOS, who was never
23:07
Speaker 1: the same.
23:08
Speaker 2: Markel Fultz was.
23:09
Speaker 1: Drafted number one overall in the NBA by the Philadelphia 76ers.
23:13
Speaker 1: At the time, many basketball analysts viewed his selection by
23:16
Speaker 1: the Sixers as the last major piece of the process puzzle.
23:20
Speaker 1: But his career was also impacted by TOS. So what
23:24
Speaker 1: is Steven Strasburg up to these days since he retired
23:27
Speaker 1: from Major League Baseball? Well, following in Tony Gwynn's footsteps,
23:31
Speaker 1: he's back at San Diego State coaching baseball, serving as
23:34
Speaker 1: the special assistant.
23:35
Speaker 2: To the head coach. And that's what happened to Steven Strasburg.