5 most memorable MLB debuts

1. Stephen Strasburg (June 8, 2010 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates)

There has been no MLB debut more anticipated than that of Stephen Strasburg’s. Baseball fans were well aware of what Strasburg brought, as he was deemed by many experts as the best pitching prospect in recent memory. Luckily for the Washington Nationals, they were able to secure the first-overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft to select Strasburg.

During the 2010 season, Strasburg played in 11 games in the minor leagues, where he accumulated a 1.30 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP and 65 strikeouts over 55.1 innings of work. Then, Strasburg received his call up to start on June 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Strasburg’s first inning consisted of getting Pirates star outfielder Andrew McCutchen to line out on three pitches, second baseman Neil Walker to ground out on five pitches and outfielder Lastings Milledge to strike out on three pitches. While Strasburg did allow a two-run homer to outfielder Delwyn Young, he was locked in.

In his debut, Strasburg struck out a staggering 14 batters while allowing two earned runs on four hits in 7.0 innings of work. With that performance, the Nationals earned the 5-2 victory.

Strasburg lived up to the hype throughout his career despite injuries, as he was named to three All-Star teams, won a Silver Slugger in 2012 and was named the 2019 World Series MVP after posting a 2-0 record and a 2.51 ERA while striking out 14 batters over two starts (14.1 innings) against the Houston Astros.