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Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg the next postseason ace

By David Hill |
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 4: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) heads for the dugout after finishing an inning during a game between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers in game 2 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on October 4, 2019 . (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 4: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) heads for the dugout after finishing an inning during a game between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers in game 2 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on October 4, 2019 . (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Even if the Washington Nationals have yet to advance beyond the first round since moving to the nation’s capital, they have one of the great postseason pitchers in major league history.

Over the years, the Washington Nationals have been one of the bigger disappointments in the postseason. Since moving from Montreal, the Nationals have failed to advance in the postseason, never getting beyond the first round. Prior to this year, the Nationals have made the playoffs four times, falling in the NL Divisional Series each time.

While the Nationals have disappointed, they also have one of the great postseason pitchers in the history of the game on their roster. Those failings from the previous years cannot lie at the feet of Stephen Strasburg.

Strasburg has made a total of five appearances in the postseason, including his three inning relief appearance during the Wild Card Game. In that time, he has allowed just five runs, two earned, over 28 innings. He has struck out 38 batters, while allowing only 19 hits and four walks. Despite that dominance, Strasburg has managed just a 3-2 record in the playoffs.

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On Friday, with the Nationals season potentially on the line, Strasburg came through. He shut down the dangerous Dodgers lineup, allowing only one run on three hits over six innings, striking out ten without issuing a walk. It was the type of performance that Washington needed.

It is also the type of postseason performance that the Nationals should come to expect from Strasburg. Mariano Rivera has the lowest ERA of any pitcher in the postseason at 0.70, with 30 innings as the delineated cutoff mark. Strasburg, with a 0.64 ERA in his 28 innings, could surpass Rivera in his next appearance.

The Nationals rotation gets plenty of attention from its trio of aces. Max Scherzer was an important part of the Game Two victory with his inning of relief, and Patrick Corbin is expected to be the missing piece of the rotation. Yet, it is Strasburg who has been one of the all time playoff greats.

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The Washington Nationals have one of the all time best postseason pitchers in MLB history in Stephen Strasburg. Game Two on Friday was just a reminder of how dominant he has been in the playoffs.

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