The buzz in Rochester surrounding Strasburg was different from anything I have ever seen before. Strasburg was originally slated to pitch against the AAA Rochester Red Wings on Tuesday, May 18th. Due to rain, his start was pushed to the night game of a day/night doubleheader at Frontier Field on May 19th.
The Rochester Red Wings are the MLB affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, so Rochester fans have seen their fair share of talented players. Francisco Liriano, Michael Cuddyer, Matt Garza, Jerry Hairston Jr, Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and even Cal Ripken Jr. all played for Rochester at one point or another during their professional careers. I wasn't old enough, or even alive, to see some of these players play for the Red Wings when they did, but I do know that Strasburg brought a different buzz to Rochester than any other previous player.
My friend received four free tickets through his boss at work, so me and some friends decided to go check out Strasburg and see what he was really all about. I'm fortunate enough to live only twenty minutes away from Frontier Field in downtown Rochester, therefore going to a Red Wings game is something that I can do whenever I choose to do so.
The media before Strasburgs start was in a craze. No matter what local news station or newspaper you watched or read, Strasburg was the main focus of interest. While trying to find parking at Frontier Field, there were masses of people crossing streets to get to Frontier Field. Looking out of the window of the car, I was amazed by all the people attending the game. The crowd at Frontier Field was easily the largest I had ever seen at a Red Wings game, hands down.
To explain to you just how big the crowd at Frontier Field was, consider this: On May 17th the Rochester Red Wings hosted the Louisville Bats. The total attendance for the game was 3,542. On May 19th, when Rochester hosted Stephen Strasburg and the Syracuse Chiefs, the attendance for the night game (in which Strasburg started) was 12,590. Need I say more? Strasburg sparked so much interested in Rochester, as I'm sure he does in every city he pitches in, that nearly ten thousand more fans showed up to see him pitch.
While I have made it clear what Strasburgs 'buzz' was like off the field in Rochester, you're probably wondering "Yeah, so, what did you think of him on the field?"
On the field, Strasburg was everything I anticipated he would be (and more). From inning one to his last pitch with one out in the seventh, it never seemed as if he became tired or fatigued. He consistently hit 97 MPH on the radar gun and even hit 98 a few times. His backdoor junk was nasty. Plain and simple. What doesn't look like a strike at first ends up hooking around and freezing the batter, most of the time making opposing hitters look foolish, as Strasburg is accustomed to doing. His change-up wasn't perfect, but it's good enough to keep opposing hitters at bay. Strasburg is known for his fastball, but his off-speed pitches are good enough to make it so no player can sit and wait on his heater.
Through his 6.1 innings against the Red Wings, Strasburg allowed only three hits and only walked two people, while striking out nine and not allowing one run to score.
Strasburg has everything you would expect a prospect, who gets as much publicity as he does, to have. Composure, control, velocity, and more. Some 'experts' have stated that his throwing motion is 'too violent' and he will eventually develop arm injuries as a result. Experts can say what they want and form their own opinions, but the one thing I do know is that Stephen Strasburg is undoubtedly an absolute phenom. For any of you doubters out there, I'm here to set the record straight: Stephen Strasburg is the real deal.
I'm glad you decided to go see him pitch! Hopefully he can stay healthy and do some damage in the big leagues.
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