No. 1 overall pick Strasburg shows why in debut

ALTOONA, Pa. - Wherever Stephen Strasburg's formidable right arm eventually takes him, the record book always will show his first professional win came April 11, 2010, in his minor-league debut, at a stadium with a roller coaster looming beyond rightfield, in this town of 50,000 nestled in the Allegheny Mountains.

Strasburg, the Nationals' No. 1 overall pick in last June's amateur draft, pitched consistently in the range of 97 to 98 mph in his five innings yesterday, allowing four runs - one earned - and four hits and striking out eight.

Like Harrisburg's other starters, Strasburg knew he was on a pitch count, with no chance of more than 85 or 90. "All of our starters are the same," manager Randy Knorr said before the Double-A game. Well, not quite the same. Strasburg is the only one whose picture graced the special media credentials issued by the Altoona Curve's PR staff.

Before an overflow crowd of 7,887 and a dozen cameras, Strasburg threw 82 pitches in a 6-4 win. "I definitely was super-excited," he said in a monotone that conveyed anything but excitement. "There was a lot of anticipation for this outing."

Strasburg also hit an RBI double in a three-run fifth inning. He never got to bat in college and took a postgame dig at his San Diego State coach, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn: "I'm going to call Gwynn up tomorrow and let him have it."

Strasburg allowed an earned run in the first on a double and single, then three unearned runs in the fourth, when Harrisburg made two errors.

But then the 6-4, 220-pound righthander began to dominate, retiring seven consecutive batters, five by strikeout. His slider-curve hybrid made one righthanded batter lean way back to get out of the way of a pitch that wound up bending over the plate for a called strike.

Cuban phenom Chapman sharp. Strasburg wasn't the only prized pitching prospect to debut Sunday. Lefthander Aroldis Chapman, who defected from Cuba during the offseason, struck out nine and allowed an unearned run in 42/3 innings for Louisville, the Reds' Triple-A affiliate, against host Toledo. Chapman topped 100 mph on the radar gun five times.